Apprentices

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many apprentices aged (a) 16 to 18, (b) 19 to 24 and (c) 25 years or over are employed in (i) his Department and (ii) each of his Department's Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies. [202536]

Brandon Lewis: My Department currently has six apprentices. Two are aged 16 to 18, and four are aged 19 to 24. We are due to get a further four apprentices in September 2014.

Of our Arm's Length Bodies, the Planning Inspectorate currently has seven apprentices. Six are aged 19 to 24, and one is aged 25 or over; and the Homes and Communities Agency currently has three apprentices, all of whom are aged 19 to 24.

Six apprentices were appointed to permanent roles in the Department of the 10 employed last year. The Department is committed to bringing in apprentices and promoting fresh perspectives and ideas. They are enthusiastic in their approach to work and committed to learning and developing the skills needed to make a positive contribution, both within and outside the Department.

Council Tax

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what guidance his Department has issued on whether the landlord or tenant is responsible for the payment of council tax when a tenant leaves the property but fails to inform the landlord; [203890]

(2) what guidance his Department has issued on whether the landlord or tenant is responsible for the payment of council tax on the day that a tenancy ends. [203889]

Brandon Lewis: The hierarchy of liability for council tax is set out in Section 6 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. A resident tenant of a dwelling is higher in the hierarchy of liability than a non-resident owner. A tenant who has permanently vacated a property is not liable for council tax under local government finance legislation. Decisions on liability are a matter for billing authorities, and will depend on the particular circumstances of each case, such as whether the property is that person’s sole or main residence, or whether there are other remaining residents.

My Department has not issued specific guidance on this issue, but our predecessor, the Department of the Environment, has previously done so. I have placed a copy of “Council tax practice note 2” in the Library of the House. It is a reflection of the prevailing legislation at that point in time; with that caveat, it is still guiding

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otherwise. Paragraph 7 deals with the determination of council tax on a daily basis and states that for liability purposes ‘The state of affairs at the end of any day is assumed to have lasted all that day.’

Emergency Services: Crimes of Violence

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to better protect emergency services from attacks by youths. [203967]

Brandon Lewis: On 20 February 2007, the Emergency Workers (Obstruction) Act 2006 came into force. This Act, which specifically includes firefighters, makes it an offence to obstruct or hinder an emergency worker responding to emergency circumstances.

Fire and rescue authorities have in place various measures to engage with young people in their areas. While any attack on firefighters while carrying out their duties is one too many, the number of attacks in England continues to fall.

Empty Property

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what estimate he has made of the number of vacant residential properties (a) awaiting occupation, (b) that are derelict, (c) that are for sale and (d) in other categories; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of current net additional housing demand that could be met through bringing vacant properties back into use; [203823]

(2) what estimate he has made of the number of vacant residential properties in each region. [203818]

Stephen Williams: Under this Government, the number of empty homes in England has fallen to a 10-year low. The number of long-term empty homes has fallen by around a third from October 2009 to October 2013, and the overall number of empty homes has fallen by around a fifth over the same period.

Statistics on vacant dwellings at a national and local authority level are published in the Department’s live table 615, which is available on the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants

My Department does not collect information centrally on the number of vacant residential properties awaiting occupation, derelict, for sale or in other categories. The Department does not hold information on the proportion of current net additional housing demand that could be met through bringing vacant properties back into use.

As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, columns 29-31WS, my Department does not publish statistics by Government office region.

Energy

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of his Department's consumption in kWh of (a) gas and (b) electricity in each month since June 2010; and what the cost of such consumption has been in each such month. [202701]

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Brandon Lewis: Under this Government, the DCLG Group has made considerable financial savings in energy consumption, reducing its greenhouse emissions by 54 per centre from 2009-10 to 2013-14, saving £1 million comparing 2009-10 energy costs to 2013-14, through energy efficiency measures and better procurement practices.

I note that under the last Administration, the Department's main building (Eland House, Victoria) was one of the least energy-efficient buildings in Whitehall, despite its being the lead Department on energy efficiency standards in buildings. In June 2011, the building was awarded a ‘D’ grade display energy certificate, having improved from a notional ‘G’ grade in 2006-07.

It is not possible to provide meaningful comparable monthly figures since June 2010: (a) from 2011, the residual parts of the Government office for the regions estate became part of the core DCLG estate, (b) due to billing credits following consumption estimates by suppliers, (c) changes in consumption due to cold weather and (d) additional consumption due to empty office space being sub-let to third-party tenants, generating income to save taxpayers’ money.

Fire Services: Pensions

Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to make formal proposals to end the ongoing dispute on firefighters' pensions based on the alternative costed options within the proposed cost ceiling which were released on 12 June 2014; and if he will make a statement on progress towards resolving that dispute. [203610]

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 July 2014, Official Report, column 610W. The consultation on the draft regulations has now concluded and it remains premature to pre-empt its outcome. Progress towards resolving this dispute remains entirely in the hands of the Fire Brigades Union.

Fixed Penalties

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what statistics his Department holds on the use of fixed penalty notices in each local authority area. [202290]

Brandon Lewis: The most recent official statistics (for 2009-10) show that 9 million parking fines were issued a year by local authorities in England. From 1997-98 to 2010-11, local authority total income from sales, fees and charges in England from parking rose from £608 million to £1.25 billion; net profits from parking rose from £223 million to £512 million in the same period. A survey by LV= car insurance last year estimated that councils hand out 10.7 million fines a year across the UK, and British motorists pay out over £30 million each month in parking fines.

Councils in England were forecast to make £635 million net profit from parking charges fines in 2013-14. Yet legislation passed by Parliament is clear that parking charges and fines should not be used to raise general revenue. However, some councils are raising money illegally from parking.

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Last July, the High Court ruled that one London borough had illegally hiked parking charges to raise general revenue. The BBC television programme, Inside Out, also drew to my attention parking contracts signed by local authorities where outsourced parking wardens are rewarded for issuing more fines—in flagrant breach of the Government’s operational guidance to councils. The Local Government Association's own participatory budgeting tool has also encouraged councils to raise parking charges and fines as a source of general revenue.

Such practices are a breach of fundamental constitutional principles from Magna Carta, the Petition of Right and the Bill of Rights: taxes should not be levied without recourse to Parliament, and the justice system should not be corrupted to raise money.

Higher parking charges and more parking fines were the explicit policy of the Labour Government. Labour DCLG Ministers called for councils to charge for more services, including parking, and bemoaned that:

‘Only one in five councils are using charging to the full potential... [such as for] reducing congestion’

(Speech to the Local Government Association, 2 July 2008).

Planning guidance issued by the Labour Government in 2001 (so-called PPG13) told councils to hike parking charges and adopt aggressive enforcement to discourage drivers.

My Department holds information on councils’ income from penalty charge notices. Following my answer of 12 March 2014, Official Report, columns 260-62W, I placed in the Library a table showing the amount of money raised in parking fines in each local authority in England over time, which illustrates the need to reverse Labour’s approach.

Since 2010, this Government have already:

Scrapped Labour’s Whitehall policy that pressured councils to hike car parking charges as a ‘demand management measure’ to discourage car use (PPG13);

Removed Whitehall restrictions which restricted the provision of off-street parking spaces;

Abolished Labour’s Whitehall policy which inhibited parking charge competition between council areas, and instead introduced a new policy that says parking charges should not undermine the vitality of town centres;

Introduced a policy that parking enforcement should be proportionate;

Issued new planning practice guidance on removing street clutter and encouraging the provision of shopper-friendly parking space provision; and

Introduced the local retention of business rates, which means that councils benefit from business and retail growth in town centres, rather than just hiking parking charges.

In addition, the Government recently announced a further series of reforms:

Stopping the abuse or misuse of on-street parking CCTV on an industrial scale. Parking CCTV spy cars were introduced by the last Labour Government;

Reforming operational parking guidance so it is less heavy handed with motorists, prevents over-aggressive action by bailiffs, positively supports local shops and clearly reinforces the prohibition against parking being used to generate profit;

Introducing mandatory 10-minute “grace periods” at the end of on-street paid and free parking, and off-street municipal parking;

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Implementing a new right to allow local residents and local firms to demand a review of parking in their area, including charges and the use of yellow lines;

Proposing a widening of the powers of parking adjudicators, and updating guidance so the public know when they can be awarded costs at tribunals;

Trialling a 25% discount for drivers at appeal stage, reversing the current disincentive for drivers with a legitimate case to appeal;

Changing guidance so drivers parking at an out-of-order meter are not fined if there are no alternative ways to pay;

Maintaining a freeze on parking penalty charges for the remainder of this Parliament; and

Updating the local government Transparency Code to increase information about local parking charges and the number of parking spaces.

Unreasonable parking charges and fines push up hard-working people's cost of living. If parking is too expensive or difficult, shoppers will simply drive to out of town supermarkets or just shop online, undermining the vitality of town centres and leading to ‘ghost town’ high streets. By rejecting Labour’s approach, this Government are standing up for hard-working people and local shops.

Floods

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2014, Official Report, columns 151-52W, on Bellwin scheme, which local authorities have made applications for Bellwin funding relating to flooding in winter 2013-14 since 11 June 2014; what amount each such local authority applied for; and what amount has been paid to each such local authority to date. [203680]

Brandon Lewis: Bellwin provides emergency financial assistance to local authorities to help them meet uninsurable costs they incur when responding to a major emergency in their area. The level of funding over time is causally linked to the scale of flooding or other emergency. As was the case under previous and current Administrations, it operates by local authorities retrospectively claiming spending back.

As at 7 July, 70 local authorities have submitted formal Bellwin claims. A table has been deposited in the Library of the House listing the reimbursement payments that have been made to date. In the remaining cases, the claims are being prepared for payment or we are waiting for the local authorities to provide supporting information. The deadline for submitting claims was 30 June 2014; claims are being checked and will be paid promptly.

Homelessness

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) individuals, (b) couples and (c) families are registered in the UK as seeking accommodation. [203780]

Kris Hopkins: Local authority housing waiting lists in England under the last Administration rose from 1.02 million households in April 1997 to 1.74 million in April 2010. Under this Government, waiting lists have now fallen to 1.69 million as of April 2013.

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Information is not collected on household type. Figures for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are a matter for the devolved Administrations.

This Government have given councils greater freedoms to manage their waiting lists, and worked to give greater priority to those with local connections and members of the armed forces.

Housing

Mr Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if his Department will publish a code of practice for the management of residential property. [R] [204061]

Kris Hopkins: We have asked the industry to come together and develop a code of practice for both the management of residential property and the process of letting property. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is leading the development of the code which we expect to be published in the summer.

Housing: Construction

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will (a) review and (b) amend or provide an exemption to the five-year housing land availability test for councils who have land on the proposed High Speed 2 rail route. [203897]

Nick Boles: High Speed 2 has the opportunity to be a significant catalyst for locally-led growth and regeneration at proposed station locations, with the potential to support new homes and new jobs, benefiting from the new high-speed connections. This is illustrated by how High Speed 1 has helped extend regeneration and growth across east London and Kent. The Government will in due course be responding to the High Speed 2 Growth Taskforce Report on how best to work with local councils and Local Enterprise Partnerships to seize the regeneration opportunities from the new line.

This Government are a strong advocate of locally-led development. The Local Plan process helps councils shape where new development should and should not go. In that context, it does not make sense to exempt councils along the route from having an up-to-date Local Plan; councils should be in the driving seat to determine what it best for their local communities.

Local Government: Tower Hamlets

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library correspondence between his Department and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets relating to the frequency of publication of East End Life. [203996]

Brandon Lewis: Copies of correspondence, from me and my officials, relating to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), giving Tower Hamlets Council written notification of his intention to direct them to comply with the provisions of the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity are available on my Department’s website and can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-tower-hamlets-council

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We are currently considering the representations made following the Secretary of State’s letter and will make a statement in due course.

Parking Offences: CCTV

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what proportion of organisations responding to his consultation on local authority parking agreed with the Government's intention to abolish the use of closed circuit television cameras for parking enforcement; and if he will make a statement; [203640]

(2) what proportion of individual respondents to his consultation on local authority parking agreed with the Government's proposal to abolish the use of closed circuit television cameras for parking enforcement. [203639]

Brandon Lewis: I refer the right hon. Member to the Government’s response to the consultation.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/local-authority-parking

As the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), explained on 30 June 2014, Official Report, column 593, we are banning the use of CCTV for parking enforcement, subject to a very small number of exceptions that emerged following that consultation.

Using CCTV to levy parking fines was a measure introduced by the last Labour Government, and it is clear that such powers have since been misused and abused by councils to raise money on an industrial scale.

A report in April by Big Brother Watch estimated that static CCTV and CCTV spy cars have raised £312 million in parking fines from 2008 to 2013 across 71 local authorities.

I would observe that the majority of local authorities are quite able to enforce parking rules without having to adopt such intrusive measures. Public confidence in CCTV is strengthened if it is used to catch criminals not make money.

The action of the coalition Government to ban such CCTV cash cameras reflects our commitment to protect civil liberties, as well as our intention to end Labour’s culture of unfair and aggressive parking enforcement which has inflicted real harm on local shops and high streets.

Policy

Mr O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government at what level his Department values the reduction of risk of death per fatal casualty prevented; and if he will give an example of a policy intervention where this evaluation was made. [203611]

Stephen Williams: When carrying out an appraisal, my Department follows the principles set out in the HM Treasury’s Green Book: Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government. The Green Book includes guidance

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on how to value the prevention of fatalities and injuries. One of the approaches in the Green Book used by my Department is the Department for Transport’s valuation of a fatality. The latest monetary value is publicly available on its website.

An example of where this valuation has been applied is the recent changes to Part P Building Regulations covering electrical safety in dwellings. The impact assessment setting out the analysis is publicly available.

Women and Equalities

Domestic Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2014, Official Report, column 677W, on official visits, what domestic visits each of the Ministers in the Government Equalities Office have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was. [204367]

Mrs Grant: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Economic Situation: Females

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities what assessment she has made of the contribution of women to the economy; and if she will make a statement. [203923]

Jo Swinson: Women play a vital role in the economy. The Small Business Survey found that SMEs led by women contributed £75 billion to the economy in 2012 alone. The Women's Business Council estimate that, by equalising the labour force participation rates of men and women, the UK could further increase GDP per capita growth by 0.5 percentage points per year, with potential gains of 10% of GDP by 2030.

In November last year, the Government published their action plan on women and the economy, setting out the full range of action we are taking, including extending the right to request flexible working from June and introducing shared parental leave in April 2015.

We now have the highest number of women in work and in self-employment on record, the highest ever employment rate for women, and record numbers of women-led enterprises.

Mental Health Services: LGBT People

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities on what dates she has met Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender mental health service providers. [203898]

Mrs Grant: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 July 2014, Official Report, column 338W.

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Northern Ireland

Healthcare UK

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with the Chief Executive of Healthcare UK to ensure that business, academia, health and public sector organisations in Northern Ireland are included in Healthcare UK's priorities for 2014-15. [204204]

Mrs Villiers: I very much support the promotion of the Northern Ireland health care sector to overseas markets and supporting health care partnerships between Northern Ireland and overseas health care providers and I stand ready to work alongside Northern Ireland Executive Ministers in this regard.

But given that these relate to devolved matters in Northern Ireland, I would expect these discussions to be conducted primarily between the relevant Northern Ireland Executive Departments and Healthcare UK, rather than through the Northern Ireland Office.

Members: Correspondence

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when she intends to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Bury South of 12 June 2014 on a youth summit on building a shared future. [204146]

Mrs Villiers: I replied to the hon. Gentleman on 8 July.

Energy and Climate Change

Fracking

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make an assessment of the implications for environmental safety in the UK hydraulic fracturing programme of studies published in 2013 by the University of Missouri on the problem of dispersal of endocrine disrupter chemicals from fluids used in the fracking process for natural gas. [203982]

Michael Fallon: The potential health impacts of chemical or radioactive exposure from shale gas activities have been considered by Public Health England, which published a draft report for comment in October 2013 and a final report in June 2014 entitled ‘Review of the Potential Public Health Impacts of Exposures to Chemical and Radioactive Pollutants as a Result of the Shale Gas Extraction Process’:

http://www.hpa.org.uk/Publications/Environment/PHECRCEReportSeries/PHECRCE009/

Public Health England considered the University of Missouri study as part of its review of the literature and data for the final report (see section 8.2).

The report concluded overall:

“An assessment of the currently available evidence indicates that the potential risks to public health from exposure to the emissions associated with shale gas extraction will be low if the operations are properly run and regulated.”

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It noted:

“Where potential risks have been identified in the literature, the reported problems are typically a result of operational failure and a poor regulatory environment.”

In the UK, all chemicals which are proposed for use in the hydraulic fracturing process are assessed in advance by the environmental regulators. Operators will not be able to use chemicals for well stimulation unless the Regulator considers them acceptable for use.

Allowing the use of a chemical at one site does not automatically mean the regulator will allow it to be used elsewhere. This is because the environmental risks may be different; for example, due to local geological conditions.

Natural Gas

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2014, Official Report, column 1258, on energy security, what the evidential basis is for his statement that the rate of investment in gas is increasing. [203379]

Michael Fallon: The statement by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), referred to the overall level of investment. £45 billion has been invested in electricity infrastructure since 2010. This figure was published in DECC’s ‘Energy Investment Report’ April 2014,¹ which also presented information from the ONS Annual Business Survey showing increased annual capital expenditure on electricity, power generation and distribution since 2005, with 2012 as the record year to date.

Since 2010 six gas plants have been commissioned in the UK with a further £700 million plant at Carrington under construction. This compares with the five gas plants that were commissioned from 2005 to 2010. Details of each plant are listed in the table.² Additionally, energy companies will have developed and implemented investment plans in relation to their existing fleet of gas plants.

¹ Available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/305860/DECC_Energy_investment_report_Web_Final.pdf

² Taken from DUKES Table 5.11:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-chapter-5-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes

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Oil: Exploration

Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) if he will publish all (a) minutes, (b) memoranda and (c) correspondence held by his Department about contact with (i) the Ministry of Defence and (ii) the Scottish Office relating to the Department of Energy's consideration of the 1981 application by British Petroleum for a licence to drill in the Firth of Clyde; [203687]

(2) if he will publish all (a) minutes, (b) memoranda and (c) correspondence originating between July 1984 and January 1986 relating to contacts between the Department of Energy and the Ministry of Defence about applications for licences to drill for oil in the Firth of Clyde. [203686]

Michael Fallon: The Department does not hold any such documents.

Plutonium

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the written statement of 3 July 2014, OfficialReport, column 61WS, on management of overseas-owned plutonium in the UK, whether the plutonium from Germany and Sweden respectively allocated to the UK civilian stockpile will be subject to the withdrawal from safeguards option under article 14 of the tripartite UK/Euratom/IAEA Voluntary Safeguards Agreement of 1977. [204041]

Michael Fallon: All civil nuclear material in the UK is subject to Euratom safeguards and the terms of the UK/Euratom/IAEA Voluntary Safeguards Agreement, including its article 14. As part of the 1998 Strategic Defence Review, the Government announced that as a matter of policy future withdrawals of nuclear material from safeguards would be severely limited, and that the quantities of material involved would be orders of magnitude less than the amounts used to make nuclear weapons. There is no intention to withdraw from safeguards the plutonium recently allocated to the UK by Germany and Sweden. Information on nuclear material withdrawn from safeguards is available on the Office for Nuclear Regulation website at:

www.onr.org.uk/safeguards/withdrawals.htm

Senior Civil Servants

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many senior civil servants appointed to positions in his Department since 2010 were previously (a) political appointees within that Department and (b) employed by a political party. [204323]

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created in October 2008. Since that date no political appointees who had been working in DECC have subsequently been appointed as senior civil servants in DECC.

DECC does not hold centrally any electronic records on the previous career history of its employees. To extract that information from paper files would incur disproportionate costs.

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Culture, Media and Sport

Air Travel

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what occasions each Minister within his Department has taken domestic flights on official business since May 2010. [204290]

Mrs Grant: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Domestic Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2014, Official Report, column 665W, on official visits, what domestic visits each of the Ministers of his Department has made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was. [204376]

Mrs Grant: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Football: Sportsgrounds

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will discuss with the Football Association the development of safe standing areas in Premiership Club grounds. [204214]

Mrs Grant: I am happy to discuss this, but the Government remain committed to the all-seater policy. We remain of the belief that all-seater stadiums are the safest and best way for fans to watch football and have brought a more diverse audience to the game in the last 20 years.

Lotteries: Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will estimate how much money will be raised from society lotteries in (a) Brighton, Kemptown and (b) Brighton and Hove in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [203877]

Mrs Grant: Society lotteries are entirely independent of Government (unlike the National Lottery) so detailed figures on society lottery income and distribution are not collected by Government. The Gambling Commission publishes data about society lotteries, found at:

http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/gambling_data__analysis/statistics/industry_statistics-1.aspx

but this is not broken down geographically.

National Lottery: Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will estimate the total amount of money awarded to good causes by the National Lottery in (a) Brighton, Kemptown constituency and (b) Brighton and Hove. [203983]

Mrs Grant: Data supplied by the National Lottery distributors show that 772 grants of Lottery money to the value of £29,292,517 have been made in Brighton Kemptown constituency, and that 2,965 grants to the

10 July 2014 : Column 414W

value of £155,105,953 have been made in the Brighton and Hove local authority area.

Telecommunications

Sir Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment Ofcom has made of the reasons for disputes between service providers and Openreach over (a) the provision of telephone and broadband services and (b) the service provided to James and Susan Love of Aldington, Worcestershire. [203865]

Mr Vaizey: Ofcom has recently completed a review of Openreach quality of service and has established new rules to bring about faster line repairs and installations for telephone and broadband customers.

The new regulations which came into effect on 1 July, will ensure that the majority of phone and broadband faults will have to be repaired within two working days, while most customers requiring a new line must receive an appointment within 12 working days. Should Openreach fail to meet the new standards, the company will face sanctions from Ofcom, which could include fines. Openreach will also be required to report publicly on its performance quarterly from October 2014.

Ofcom does not handle individual consumer complaints, for which an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process is provided.

International Development

Afghanistan

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2014, Official Report, columns 181-2W, on Afghanistan, if she will place in the Library all official agreements reached between her Department and USAID on the transfer of the Bost Agripark in 2009. [203971]

Justine Greening: I refer to my previous answer to the hon. Member on 5 September 2013, Official Report, column 461W.

Burma

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation of displaced Rohingya Muslims in Burma. [204198]

Mr Duncan: FCO and DFID staff monitor the humanitarian situation in Rakhine State closely and visit frequently. While there have been improvements to humanitarian operations following the severe disruptions caused by attacks on UN and international NGO premises in March, many vulnerable communities, including the Rohingya, remain under-served. The UK is providing bilateral humanitarian support in Rakhine to all communities affected by the humanitarian situation there, as well as support through core contributions to multilateral agencies.

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Conflict Pool

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department has spent from the Conflict Pool in each country in each year since its launch. [204161]

Justine Greening: Full information on Conflict Pool programmes managed by DFID can be found on the online Development Tracker at:

http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/

Developing Countries: Fraud and Corruption

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many reports of fraud or corrupt practices her Department has received (a) in writing and (b) through the development tracker website in each year since 2010. [204163]

Justine Greening: Incidents of substantiated fraud are set out in both the Department's annual report and, where appropriate, in the notes of the annual accounts.

Disaster Relief

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department has spent from the Rapid Response Facility in each country in each year since its launch. [204160]

Justine Greening: Full information on funding to the Rapid Response Facility can be found on the online Development Tracker at:

http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/

The following amounts have been spent in countries through the Rapid Response Facility since its launch:

Domestic Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2014, Official Report, column 681W, on official visits, what domestic visits each of the Ministers of her Department has made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was. [204375]

Mr Duncan: Since January 2013, DFID Ministers have made the following domestic visits on official business:

Secretary of State (Rt Hon Justine Greening MP)

17 January 2013-Visit to the DFID office in East Kilbride

28 January 2013-Regional Cabinet in Leeds

20 May 2013-Regional Visit to Watford

27 June 2013-Regional Visit to Dartford

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24 October 2013-Visit to the DFID office in East Kilbride

20 November 2013-Regional Visit to Brighton and Hastings

11 February 2014-Regional Visit to Pudsey

24 February 2014-Regional Visit to Edinburgh and Regional Cabinet in Aberdeen

1 May 2014-Regional Visit to Birmingham and Warwick

Minister of State (Rt Hon Alan Duncan MP)

6 March 2014-Regional Visit to Aberdeen

1 May 2014-Visit to the DFID office in East Kilbride and Glasgow

2 May 2014-Regional visit to Edinburgh

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lynne Featherstone MP)

4 February 2013-Regional Visit to Winchester

10 June 2013-Visit to the DFID office in East Kilbride.

2 July 2013-Regional Visit to Milton Keynes

9 October 2013-Regional Visit to Bristol

24 February 2014-Regional Visit to Birmingham and Ruby

26 February 2014-Visit to the DFID office in East Kilbride

17 March 2014-Visit to the DFID office in East Kilbride

29 June 2014-Regional Visit to Edinburgh

Overseas Aid

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether decisions to award funding under the Global Poverty Action Fund were made by the Civil Society Department, Policy and Research Division of her Department or by Triple Line Consulting Ltd. [204162]

Justine Greening: The Secretary of State has final approval of all GPAF funding decisions. All grants approved by the Secretary of State are subject to satisfactory completion of pre-grant due diligence.

Triple Line Consulting

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been paid to Triple Line Consulting Ltd for the management and running of the Global Poverty Action Fund in each year since 2010. [204159]

Justine Greening: Triple Line Consulting Ltd is the contracted fund manager of the Global Poverty Action Fund. To manage the Global Poverty Action Fund, Triple Line Consulting Ltd has been paid:

West Africa

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what additional support she is providing to authorities in West Africa to help them with the recent ebola outbreak. [204215]

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Lynne Featherstone: To date, the UK Government have contributed £897,000 to the Ebola Virus Disease response in Sierra Leone and Liberia through multilateral partners and the DFID bilateral programme. In addition, DFID is finalising arrangements to send out three Public Health England disease control specialists to Sierra Leone to support the response. We are working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and national government agencies to closely monitor the situation and help guide any additional response by DFID in-country and in the region.

Transport

Airports: Economic and Social Benefits

12. Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the economic and social contribution of airports to (a) the Exchequer and (b) the local communities they serve; and if he will make a statement. [904764]

Mr Goodwill: The aviation policy framework that the Government published last year recognises the very important role airports across the UK play in providing domestic and international connections and their vital contribution to the growth of regional economies. Only last month the Airport Operators Association published 13 case studies illustrating this—with Newcastle taking centre stage.

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the economic and social contribution of airports to (a) the public purse and (b) local communities. [204033]

Mr Goodwill: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 7 July 2014, Official Report, column 159W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Redditch (Karen Lumley).

Bus Services

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many public inquiries into bus performance were undertaken by each traffic commissioner in England and Wales in each of the last five years. [204152]

Stephen Hammond: The following table shows the number of public inquiries heard against operators of local bus services in the last five years in England and Wales.

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Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it a condition of the Bus Service Operators Grant incentive for real time information equipment that the performance data generated should be made available to the traffic commissioners. [204207]

Stephen Hammond: In July 2013, we announced a package of reforms to the Bus Service Operator Grant (BSOG) system following consultation. At this time, we announced that the BSOG incentives would be maintained until 2014 when we would review the remaining parts of the bus subsidy system. As part of this commitment, we are now undertaking work to consider reforms to the incentive grants and will consider the conditions related to these.

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many local transport authorities achieve the bus punctuality targets set by the Senior Traffic Commissioners. [204210]

Stephen Hammond: Local transport authorities are not set bus punctuality targets by the Senior Traffic Commissioner. The Traffic Commissioners' “Practice Direction: Standards for Local Bus Services” outlines the standards which bus operators are expected to adhere to. The Traffic Commissioners, as statutory regulators of the bus industry, have the powers to take action against operators who fail to operate according to the registered details.

Bus Services: Cornwall

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding has been allocated to support rural bus routes in Cornwall in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15. [204153]

Stephen Hammond: It is for individual local authorities to determine how much of the block grant funding they receive is allocated to supporting bus services. Local authorities in England outside London spend over £340 million in direct subsidy to bus services in this way. The latest out-turn figures, for 2012-13, show that Cornwall county council has an annual budget of £5.2 million for this purpose.

The Department also provides direct support to bus services each year through Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG). Details of BSOG funding paid to bus operators in the last three financial years is available online. It is not possible to provide this data broken down by region. The data are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bus-service-operators-grant-payments-to-english-operators-up-to-31-march-2013

Following changes to BSOG announced in 2013, the BSOG previously paid to operators in respect of local authority supported bus services has now been devolved to authorities. Cornwall county council recently received £191,280 covering the period 1 January to 31 March 2014 and a further £765,118 covering the 2014-15 financial year.

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High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was paid to PwC for its report, analysis and advisory work on a potential property bond scheme for property owners affected by plans for HS2 dated March 2014 and published by HS2 Ltd as part of the response to the 2013 consultation on compensation. [203647]

Mr Goodwill: The Department for Transport reimbursed HS2 Ltd £311,238 for work commissioned on its behalf from PwC on the property bond proposed in the 2013 compensation consultation.

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when discussions were held between PwC and the Law Society, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, Council for Mortgages Lenders, National Association of Estate Agents and the Valuation Office Agency on the property bond prior to publication of the report, Analysis and advisory work on a potential property bond scheme for property owners affected by plans for HS2 dated March 2014 and published by HS2 Ltd as part of the response to the 2013 consultation on compensation. [203648]

Mr Goodwill: Discussions between PwC and the aforementioned parties regarding the property bond proposed in the 2013 property compensation consultation took place on the following dates:

The Law Society—20 January 2014

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors—16 January 2014

The Council of Mortgage Lenders—3 January 2014 and 13 January 2014

National Association of Estate Agents—7 January 2014 and 31 January 2014

Valuation Office Agency—27 January 2014 and 29 January 2014.

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many blight notices have been (a) served on HS2 Ltd and (b) accepted in each affected postcode and constituency. [203649]

Mr Goodwill: The number of blight notices which have been (a) served on HS2 Ltd and (b) accepted in each affected postcode and constituency are indicated in the following tables.

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Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many early access agreements have been issued in the High Speed 2 (Phase 1) process in each affected postcode and constituency since February 2014. [203650]

Mr Goodwill: As part of the ongoing environment mitigation programme, further ecology and watercourse surveys have been undertaken in 2014. Additional sites have also been approached for noise monitoring.

February 2014 was a preparatory phase and HS2 Ltd began issuing requests in March 2014. A total of 525 requests were issued between March and June 2014, of which 390 were approved for access by the end of June. This figure has been disaggregated to parliamentary constituency and postcode district as requested.

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Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many requests for additional land have been served in each affected postcode and constituency by HS2 Ltd which require additional provision to the High Speed Rail (London-West Midlands) Bill to be deposited since February 2014. [203651]

Mr Goodwill: No requests for additional land have been made.

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what agricultural land in each affected postcode area and constituency has been purchased by HS2 Ltd in safeguarded areas on the route of Phase 1 or Phase 2 of High Speed 2. [203652]

Mr Goodwill: HS2 Ltd has acquired one agricultural holding to date, Oaks Farm, Banbury Road, Finmere Bucks, MK18 4AJ in the constituency of Banbury.

The land required for Phase 2 of HS2 has not yet been safeguarded.

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions (a) Ministers in his Department and (b) representatives of High Speed 2 have had with the World Health Organisation on noise and High Speed 2. [203655]

Mr Goodwill: World Health Organisation (WHO) guidance on noise is freely and publicly available and has been used by HS2 Ltd to help inform its noise assessment and mitigation. The HS2 Acoustic Review Group, which has informed HS2 Ltd's noise assessment, also includes a member that is an adviser to the WHO on its noise guidelines. As a result neither Ministers nor HS2 Ltd officials have discussed noise directly with WHO.

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the High Speed 2 Select Committee will have sight of the Major Project Authority's reports on High Speed 2 before it begins to hear petitions. [203656]

Mr Goodwill: The role of the Select Committee is to hear petitions from those directly and specially affected by HS2 Phase One and consider, in the light of this and the case put forward by the promoter, whether any changes are required to the scheme. MPA reports are confidential and are an assessment of the overall readiness of the project for delivery. The Government have no plans to provide the reports to the Select Committee as they are not related to its role in hearing petitions.

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Government plans to respond further to the recommendations of the 138th Report of the Environmental Audit Committee, Session 2012-13, HC 1076, on HS2 and the Environment, so as to ensure that the hybrid Bill process delivers the requirements of the Environment Impact Assessment Directive. [203657]

Mr Goodwill: As was made clear in the recent Supreme Court judgment, the hybrid Bill process is compliant with the EIA Directive and meets its requirements. The Government have published their response to the Environmental Audit Committee report on HS2 and the Environment and have no plans to respond further.

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Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the development plans for Euston in the High Speed 2 (Phase 1) hybrid Bill will be announced; and when the environmental statement consultation will be held. [203658]

Mr Goodwill: Following the Higgins report in March this year, I asked HS2 Ltd and Network Rail to develop more comprehensive proposals for the redevelopment of Euston, working with the rail industry and the local community. If a proposal can be developed that improves on that contained in the hybrid Bill, I will bring it forward as an amendment to the Bill in due course. A consultation on any supplementary environmental information accompanying the proposal would follow in accordance with the Standing Orders of this House.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent progress his Department has made on the pilot of a new enforcement process for foreign-registered vehicles that have overstayed. [904754]

Stephen Hammond: After a successful initial six-week period, the pilot of a new enforcement process has been extended to August. There has been very positive feedback from the police forces involved. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is continuing to work with the police to develop a more effective approach for dealing with foreign registered vehicles that have overstayed.

Railway Stations: Somerset

Mr Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received from Somerset county council on the reopening of railway stations in Somerset. [203864]

Stephen Hammond: We are not aware of any new station propositions from Somerset county council.

Railways

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether Bradford will be included in any future northern high speed rail line across the Pennines. [204158]

Mr Goodwill: The plans are at an early stage. The Government have asked Sir David Higgins to produce a plan for bringing the benefits of high speed rail to the north more quickly, as well as initial proposals for faster east-west connections—including options on route, timescales and cost, and to deliver it in the autumn. This will start the process by which we can have a proper debate about the future of rail connectivity in the north.

Railways: Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received from groups supporting the development of the Brighton Mainline 2; and if he will make a statement. [203588]

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Stephen Hammond: In recent years the Department has received numerous and varied representations on different elements of wide ranging proposals, collectively known as “Brighton Main Line 2”. This has included individual stakeholders, local and national interest groups, as well as several hon. and right hon. Members. In response, the Government commissioned Network Rail to undertake a capacity study of rail services between London and the Sussex coast, the findings of which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/brighton-main-line-emerging-capacity-strategy-for-control-period-6

The Network Rail study found that short to medium-term investments along the BML should be focused on improving existing infrastructure.

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what improvements to Coastway East and the Brighton-Ashford Line have been proposed in the TSGN franchise to improve services between Brighton and Ashford International; and if he will make a statement. [203869]

Stephen Hammond: The new TSGN franchise will begin 14 September this year (2014) and is vital to the delivery of the Government's multi-billion pound investment in rail services in the South East of England through the Thameslink programme. The franchisee will have to meet stretching targets for performance and customer satisfaction, which are linked to financial incentives.

A number of improvements have been secured in the contract, including for passengers on the East Coastway Line. The route will see improvements in services from December 2015 when new timetables are planned. These will reduce journey times between Hastings/Eastbourne/Lewes and central London on some off-peak services by about five minutes.

Passengers will also benefit from the retention of through services between Brighton and Ashford International and the retention of staffing from the first train in the morning to the last train at night at all stations where it is currently available. This first to last staffing will be extended to four further stations (Bexhill, Falmer, Portslade, Shoreham-on-Sea) during the new contract.

Railways: Construction

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans the Government have for further high-speed rail developments. [904766]

Mr Goodwill: The Government's goal for high speed rail is for a truly national network that will bring the UK and its cities closer together. We are clear that the benefits of high speed rail should extend as widely as possible, and we will continue to explore options for future links to achieve this.

Railways: Fares

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if it is his policy to retain the capping of rail fares at the rate of RPI + 1, beyond 2015; and if he will make a statement. [203880]

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Stephen Hammond: Fares revenue is crucial to funding day-to-day railway operations and the massive upgrade programme we are delivering. However, I recognise concerns passengers have about impacts of fares on household budgets, which is why for the first time in a decade average regulated rail fares have been capped at inflation for 2014.

No decision has yet been taken on rail fares for 2015 onwards.

Railways: Freight

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of Britain's rail track mileage is capable of accommodating full-sized lorry trailers on trains. [904750]

Stephen Hammond: Since 2007 the Government have invested around £500 million specifically in improvements to rail freight infrastructure, and we have committed a further £200 million over the next five years. The amount of freight moved on our railways has almost doubled since 1994.

The only railway infrastructure in Britain that can accommodate lorry trailers on trains is HS1 between the Channel Tunnel and Barking, which can carry the standard international 4 metre semi-trailer. It represents 0.75% of Britain's rail route mileage.

Around 80% of the UK domestic semi-trailer fleet has a height of 4.25 metres or greater. These cannot be accommodated on trains in Britain.

Railways: Plymouth

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress his Department has made on a second railway line to connect Plymouth with London and the midlands. [904748]

Stephen Hammond: It is for the south-west local authorities and the local enterprise partnership to continue to stress the importance of additional rail route to connect Plymouth to London and the midlands.

However, I would like to emphasise that a long term resilient rail route to Plymouth and far south-west is a priority for this Government. Network Rail is reviewing measures of improvement in a number of key locations on the Western Route.

Road Traffic Control

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to relieve congestion on roads. [904749]

Mr Goodwill: Road investment is central to our long-term economic plan. We are spending more than £24 billion on strategic roads between 2010 and 2021. A further £7.4 billion will be spent on local roads in the next Parliament, together with £1.5 billion funding from the Local Growth Fund announced on Monday. This will bring forward much needed schemes, like the Stafford Western Access route, which are designed to relieve congestion and open up growth across the country.

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Road Traffic Control: Hampshire

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to relieve congestion on roads in Hampshire. [904753]

Mr Goodwill: On Monday of this week we published the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Growth Deals, including both deals which cover Hampshire; Solent LEP and EM3 LEP.

Working with the Solent LEP, Government have agreed to fund two schemes to relieve congestion on the Gosport peninsula.

The Gosport Road and A27 improvement scheme and the Peel Common Roundabout Improvement scheme, a pinch point on the local road network near the Enterprise Zone, Daedalus.

While Stubbington Bypass and the Newgate Lane South schemes were not allocated funding in the deal directly, there is a commitment for the Government and the LEP to negotiate in 2014 a further phase of co-investment to deliver strategic infrastructure to support the development of network capacity to and from the Gosport peninsula—including Stubbington Bypass.

Working with the EM3 LEP, Government have agreed to fund three schemes to relieve congestion around Basingstoke: Basingstoke Northern Corridor to Growth A33; Basingstoke North Eastern Corridor A340 partial dualling; and the Basingstoke South Western Corridor scheme. All of these schemes will reduce current congestion levels and help mitigate future congestion from new housing and business sites.

The Whitehill/Bordon relief road will remove the severance caused by the A325 and improve traffic flows through the towns to reduce congestion.

EM3 has also been allocated £20.7 million, with £4.3 million in the first year for a transport fund which will comprise sustainable transport schemes to alleviate congestion in the identified growth and step up towns within the LEP area.

Roads: Accidents

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of recent trends in reported road casualties. [904767]

Mr Goodwill: The figures for 2013 show the lowest number of road deaths since records began.

The Government are working on a range of measures to continue to improve road safety including introducing a new drug driving offence, cycle proofing roads, and removing the “statutory option” to ensure more drink drivers are brought to justice.

Roads: Safety

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of recent trends in road safety statistics. [904765]

Mr Goodwill: The figures for 2013 show the lowest number of road deaths since records began.

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The Government are working on a range of measures to continue to improve road safety including introducing a new drug driving offence, cycle proofing roads, and removing the “statutory option” to ensure more drink drivers are brought to justice.

Transport: East Midlands

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the contribution of High Speed 2 to transport connectivity between communities in the east midlands. [203540]

Mr Goodwill: Under the proposed HS2 scheme, the station in the east midlands will be separated by journeys to Birmingham and Sheffield by less than 20 minutes each. Fast and frequent shuttle services could connect Nottingham and Derby with the east midlands hub station with a journey time of just 12 minutes from Nottingham and 15 minutes from Derby.

Sir David Higgins’ report, HS2 Plus, was published on 17 March. Government welcome Sir David’s recommendation that Phase Two should be considered holistically and integrated with classic rail investment. In order to deliver better connectivity we have now asked HS2 Ltd and Network Rail to explore a process for integrated development of Network Rail’s plans with decisions on Phase Two of HS2. This will form part of Sir David Higgins’ report in the autumn.

Transport: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much transport grant was given to Warrington Borough Council in each year since 2008-09. [204149]

Mr Goodwill: The following funding for transport has been given to Warrington Borough Council in each year since 2008-09:

In addition Warrington Borough Council has received £4.650 million of funding for the Warrington Sustainable Travel Triangle, a Local Sustainable Transport Fund scheme which is designed to connect expanding residential and employment areas in north-east and north-west Warrington with the town centre through the provision of a new direct bus service and new and improved cycle routes, cycle hire, and promotion to meet the travel needs of shift and isolated workers.

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Warrington will also benefit from another LSTF scheme overseen by St Helens Council—the Mid-Mersey Sustainable Cross Boundary Links (£3.120 million).

On 7 July the Government also announced a Growth Deal with Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership. This included £87.34 million for potential transport projects from 2015-16 onwards including the Omega Birchwood transport improvements; West Warrington, Omega, M62 Junction 8; and Warrington Waterfront/Swing bridge. Further details can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-growth-deals