To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many registered amateur cricket clubs there were in each region in (a) 2000, (b) 2002, (c) 2004, (d) 2006 and (e) 2008. (288780)

Sport England has advised that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) does not hold details of how many registered community amateur cricket clubs there were in each region in each of the last 10 years.

However, the ECB holds details of the number of community amateur cricket clubs registered as Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) since CASC status was established in 2002.¹

¹ From 2004 publication of collated data changed from November to May of each year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 2 April 2009, Official Report, column 1376W, on public expenditure, how much his Department (a) allocated and (b) spent on (i) sport, (ii) the arts and (iii) heritage in 2008-09. (290903)

[holding answer 9 September 2009]: It is my Department's policy to publish details of funding spent, as opposed to funding allocated, to avoid confusion or potential double-counting where end-year flexibility has been applied or where funds have been transferred in year. The amount of Exchequer funding spent by DCMS and its NDPBs on sport, the arts and heritage in 2008-09 is set out in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the average price of entry to an English Heritage property was in (a) 1996-97, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10. (290896)

[holding answer 9 September 2009]: Information from English Heritage is that the average price of entry to an English Heritage property, based on one full price adult ticket, in 1996-97, 2008-09 and 2009-10 is as set out in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been distributed by the Heritage Lottery Fund (a) in cash terms and (b) expressed in current prices in each year since its foundation. (290768)

[holding answer 9 September 2009]: Information from the Heritage Lottery Fund is that the amount paid to recipients of HLF grants in each financial year is as set out in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when a reply will be sent to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton's letter dated 27 July 2009 to him with regard to Ms Gina Hine, referred to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. (290991)

A response was sent from my right hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw) on 8 September 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of music venues and rehearsal spaces which have closed in (a) London and (b) each region in each of the last five years. (290911)

[holding answer 9 September 2009]: The information required to make these assessments is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects the 12 pilot community music rehearsal spaces announced in December 2007 to be operational. (290912)

[holding answer 9 September 2009]: The first spaces were opened in Liverpool and Bristol in May and July 2009, respectively. It is difficult to be precise about the opening dates of further spaces—each has different requirements for instruments and these have to be sourced and costed before we can make a grant offer for the local authority concerned to consider. However, we are hopeful of making such offers in respect of five further spaces in the next few months—in St. Austell, Nottingham, Washington (near Sunderland), Hastings, and rural Norfolk. Discussions are also under way about setting up spaces in Manchester, Coventry and Birmingham.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criteria will be applied to the assessment of local authority bids for Phase 2 funding from his Department’s free swimming initiative. (288273)

[holding answer 20 July 2009]: The overall aim of the Government’s free swimming programme is to encourage more people to swim by assisting in modernising and enhancing publicly accessible swimming pools including pools at maintained schools of any category in England.

Applications to the second round of the Free Swimming Capital Modernisation Programme will be assessed against the criteria laid out in the programme prospectus, which was agreed by the Free Swimming Capital Project Board (comprising DCMS, Department for Children, Schools and Families, Sport England, the Amateur Swimming Association and Local Government Association representatives) for both rounds of funding (2009-10 and 2010-11). I have arranged for copies of the prospectus to be placed in the House Library.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he expects the roadworks on the A1(M) in the vicinity of junction 4 to be completed; and if he will make a statement. (291144)

The roadworks in the vicinity of A1(M) junction 4 are to carry out a major refurbishment of the Hatfield tunnel. Works are programmed to be completed in April 2010.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when the (a) Blyth fly-over and (b) associated A1 improvements in Nottinghamshire will be open. (291009)

The new two-level junction on the A1 at Blyth was fully opened to traffic in October 2008.

The associated A1 improvements in Nottinghamshire at Apleyhead and Markham Moor junctions were fully opened to traffic in October 2008 and March 2009 respectively.

The scheme replaces the roundabouts at Blyth, Apleyhead, Markham Moor and Gonerby Moor with two-level full grade separated junctions, and provides two-level compact junctions at Colsterworth and Carpenters Lodge. The scheme separates A1 traffic and local journeys thereby reducing congestion and delays, improving safety and journey time reliability. The project which has improved and upgraded six junctions between Blyth and Peterborough will be substantially completed on 7 October 2009.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when physical construction work on widening the A14 between junctions 7 and 9 around Kettering is scheduled to (a) start and (b) finish. (291066)

The construction work on widening the A14 between Junctions 7 and 9 is currently scheduled to start in autumn 2011 with completion expected by spring 2013.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the (a) average and (b) peak daily traffic volumes for the A14 between junctions 7 and 10 around Kettering were in the latest period for which figures are available; and what they are forecast to be in (i) 2010, (ii) 2015 and (iii) 2020. (291070)

A table providing information on the average and peak daily traffic volumes for the A14 between Junctions 7 and 10 around Kettering for the latest period and for 2010, 2015 and 2020, has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps his Department plans to take to assist local authorities to meet the cost of freedom passes for pensioners and the disabled. (291158)

Local authorities receive the bulk of their funding for concessionary travel via the formula grant system, which is administered by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Since April 2008, local authorities have also received funding from the Department for Transport in the form of a special grant to meet the additional cost of the extended England national bus concession. The special grant was £212 million in 2008-09, has risen to £217 million this year and will increase to £223 million in 2010-11. The Government are confident that there are sufficient funding, in total, for statutory concessionary travel.

In addition, the Government paid a grant of around £31 million in 2007 to local authorities outside London to replace existing bus passes with new ITSO smartcard passes. Over eight million of these have now been issued. London has received a grant of £4.8 million in 2009 to facilitate the replacement of existing freedom passes with new smartcard passes from April 2010.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport further to his letter to the chair of the Transport Select Committee dated 6 July 2009, how many passengers (a) boarded and (b) alighted from trains at Corby railway station on each day since 14 June 2009. (291065)

A table of the number of passengers originating and terminating their journey at Corby each day since 14 June 2009 has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many passengers travelling (a) north and (b) south on the Midland Mainline (i) boarded and (ii) alighted from trains at Kettering station on each day since 27 April 2009. (291064)

The Department for Transport does not hold this information. Although there is no readily available breakdown of north/south journeys, a table of the number of passengers originating and terminating their journey at Kettering each day since 27 April 2009 has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the minimum level of service required to be delivered on any particular day of the week is for London Midland to fulfil its rail franchise agreement. (291078)

London Midland is required to provide levels of services which are consistent with the minimum specification which is detailed in the Service Level Commitment which forms part of the Franchise Agreement. A copy of the Service Level Commitment for London Midland can be found on the Department for Transport's website at:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/passenger/publicregister/current/londonmidland/lmcommitment2.pdf

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment has been made of whether the level of service provided by London Midland on 6 September 2009 was in compliance with the terms of its franchise. (291083)

London Midland is required to report to the Department for Transport their performance after the end of each railway reporting period. The current rail industry period ends on Saturday 19 September. London Midland will then submit their performance reports to the Department for review. This will include data for Sunday 6 September and this will enable an assessment to be made of London Midland's performance.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what information his Department holds on the effects of the ethanol and bio content of some modern fuels on fibreglass fuel tanks and bonding glue; if he will issue guidance to motorists on the matter; and if he will make a statement. (291147)

Fibreglass fuel tanks and aftermarket sealing agents are not used on modern road vehicles. Consequently, potential impacts of bioethanol on these materials do not pose a problem for motorists in general.

There is evidence from other countries that petrol with 10 per cent. ethanol content can have a deleterious effect upon some older fibreglass fuel tanks, depending upon the type of resin that was used in their construction. This issue has primarily affected fuel tanks on leisure marine vessels, although some older road vehicles may also have been affected. However, ethanol content of UK petrol is not expected to exceed 5 per cent. in the next few years. We do not at present have robust evidence of whether or not these issues could occur at the 5 per cent. ethanol content level.

We are currently discussing these issues with stakeholders, in the context of plans to implement the EU fuel quality directive 2009/30/EC. The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs in particular has raised concerns about the potential impacts of petrol containing ethanol on fibreglass fuel tanks and products used to reseal fuel tanks on older vehicles. We plan to let research to assess this issue over the next few months.

The only detailed information we hold on specific materials incompatible with ethanol is fuel industry guidance on materials used in storing petrol containing up to 10 per cent. ethanol content at filling stations and fuel terminals etc. This indicates that fibreglass using polyester and epoxy resins are not compatible with this fuel.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the estimated cost to the public purse is of the work (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned by Network Rail into possible new high-speed rail routes from London to other major cities. (291167)

The Department for Transport does not hold the information requested. This is an operational matter for Network Rail as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to his questions:

Iain Coucher

Chief Executive

Network Rail

Kings Place

90 York Way

London, N1 9AG.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the estimated cost to the public purse is of High Speed Two's work to produce a report on a possible new rail link between London and the West Midlands. (291168)

The estimated cost of High Speed Two's work is £8.5 million.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2009, Official Report, column 1272W, on rescue services: Hope Cove, what the basis is of the operational restrictions upon the Hope Cove lifeboat prior to the consultation process taking place. (291082)

The operational restrictions placed on the MCA boat at Hope Cove are for the safety of its volunteer crew and the public.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the potential effects on human health of odours from agricultural muck-spreading. (290985)

DEFRA, or MAFF as it was previously, has not undertaken any research specifically into the effects on human health of odours from agricultural muck spreading.

MAFF carried out a programme of research in the late 1980s/early 1990s to assess what factors affected the emissions of odours from the application (spreading) of agricultural manures to land to identify means of minimising emissions. As a result of this research, guidance on good practice was produced for the agricultural industry in the MAFF/DEFRA Code of Good Agricultural Practice. A copy of the code is available at:

www.defra.gov.uk/farm/environment/cogap/

The code has provided the agricultural industry with guidance on the best equipment and techniques to use to minimise emissions while applying manures. It has also provided advice about the timing of manure applications, with respect to weather, days of the week and holidays etc., to minimise the impact on surrounding residents.

Local authority environmental health departments are responsible for investigating and abating statutory nuisances under the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. One of the statutory nuisances in the Act is. […] smell […] arising from industrial, trade or business premises and being prejudicial to health or a nuisance'. Agricultural manure spreading activities have the potential to give rise to odours which may cause a statutory nuisance if not properly managed. There is no UK research at present which would conclusively demonstrate any adverse effects from agricultural odours on health. Therefore, in statutory nuisance investigations, proceeding under the nuisance limb of statutory nuisance is the more likely path.

There is also no evidence, as far as DEFRA is aware, of workers in the agricultural industry suffering adverse health effects from manure odours, despite the fact that they are inevitably exposed to higher concentrations of odours during the loading, transporting and spreading of agricultural manures than off-site receptors or residents.

Some odour emissions are inevitable from the application of agricultural manures, but with good management the impact and duration of these odours can be minimised. The use of agricultural manures is an important means of recycling plant nutrients into food production in a sustainable manner, and thereby reducing fossil fuel inputs and greenhouse gas emissions. These benefits have to be balanced against the potential for some short-term localised impact during seasonal peaks of manure application activities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress has been made on the implementation of codes of practice for animal welfare under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. (291116)

During the last 12 months, we completed public consultation exercise on four draft codes—for the keeping of cats, dogs, equines and regulations and a code for meat chicken welfare. We are also consulting on the welfare of non-human primates in private ownership. We have been considering the many responses we had to the consultation on each draft code and have held discussions with key stakeholders. Once the draft codes have been finalised we will then ask Parliament to approve them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he had on his recent visit to Ilam Hall Youth Hostel on the role of the Youth Hostels Association in providing access to the countryside for young people from towns and cities. (291002)

When speaking at the formal opening of the Ilam Youth Hostel, Hilary Benn stated the important role which institutions such as the Youth Hostels Association play in not only enabling visitors to enjoy the benefits of our National Parks, but also in helping the next generation appreciate the invaluable role the National Parks play in combating climate change.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to seek funding from the European Fisheries Fund to assist the fishing industry following the agreement of the days-at-sea limit in December 2008. (291041)

The European Fisheries Fund (EFF) can provide assistance to UK fisheries to adapt to conservation measures by improving their sustainability, for example in marketing and technology fields. Regulatory and regional selection criteria apply and applicants should first make contact with the Fisheries Department within their operational area for direct advice on application procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development on UK fisheries. (291042)

Constructive discussions with ministerial colleagues in the devolved administrations, including Northern Ireland, has culminated in the establishment of a Joint Ministerial Working Group to deliver proposals for quota management and licensing reforms. That work is now ongoing.

I was also pleased to be able visit Northern Ireland recently, to discuss with Michelle Gildernew and industry representatives the economic situation, the future of effort control/days at sea, the prospects for the autumn negotiations and other issues of importance to the local fleet.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's plans are for expenditure on flood defences in 2010-11; and how much it spent in 2009-10. (291117)

The Government are committed to effective management of flood and coastal erosion risk. It stands by its previous forecast of spending a record £2.15 billion on flood and coastal erosion risk management over three years and its commitment to spend £780 million in the 2010-11 financial year, with £20 million of the original £800 million moved forward into 2009-10 budgets to provide early protection for 27,000 homes.

Within the Government's previously announced figures for 2010-11, £659 million is going to the Environment Agency, local authorities' own expenditure will be an estimated £87 million and the remainder retained by DEFRA to implement the Pitt Review findings and help communities to adapt to climate change.

In August, the Secretary of State announced which local authorities will benefit from funding set aside to implement the findings of the Pitt Review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take to increase the UK's self-sufficiency in food. (291017)

One of DEFRA's departmental strategic objectives is to ensure a sustainable, secure and healthy food supply. We want to see a British farming sector that is competitive, and producing food that consumers want in a way that is sustainable, so as not to jeopardise the ability of future generations to exploit and enjoy our natural resources and landscapes.

The UK is currently 60 per cent. self-sufficient in all food, a higher proportion than in the 1950s. However, this figure tells us very little about UK food security. We need to maintain a range of supply sources for our food to spread the risk that might entail from over-reliance on one or a few supply sources, and to lower the impacts of any unforeseen disruptions involving any particular trading partner or from within our domestic food sector.

The Department does not have targets for self-sufficiency in food. Government's role is to support the industry to improve its performance through better self-assessment of the relative economic performance of individual businesses, more effective take-up of new technology and better management skills. We are also working with stakeholders to identify measures by which the agricultural sector can sustainably increase its resilience and productivity, strengthening food security within the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his estimate is of the percentage of food consumed in the UK which was grown in the UK in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. (291018)

In 2008, 53 per cent. of food consumed in the UK was produced in the UK. This figure is a provisional estimate.

Please note that this percentage should not be confused with the measure of UK self-sufficiency in all food, which in 2008 was 60 per cent. (provisional figure), since self-sufficiency shows the percentage of all UK food production, including UK exports, as a percentage of consumption. Both measures are based on the value of unprocessed food.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many waste incinerators were operational in England at the latest date for which figures are available. (291090)

There are 18 municipal waste incinerators operating in England, generating over 200 MW of electricity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the percentage of waste arisings incinerated in each year since 1997. (291091)

The table shows the percentage of municipal waste sent for incineration in England from 1997-98 to 2007-08. This includes both waste incinerated with, and without, energy recovery. The majority is incinerated with energy recovery.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions there have been for offences related to poor air quality arising from incinerator use in each year since 1997. (291092)

A search of the Environment Agency’s National Enforcement Database (NED) has uncovered no prosecutions for offences related to poor air quality arising from incinerator use.

All large plants are subject to the requirements of the Waste Incineration Directive which are embodied in their Environmental Permits. Conditions set in the permits require emissions of pollutants to be kept to very low levels and oblige the operators to carry out detailed emissions monitoring.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the weight of waste incinerated in each year since 1997. (291093)

The table shows the tonnage of municipal waste sent for incineration in England from 1997-98 to 2007-08. This includes both waste incinerated with, and without, energy recovery. The majority is incinerated with energy recovery.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the change in (a) staff costs and (b) other costs was between the Ofwat Business Plan for (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09. (290622)

[holding answer 9 September 2009]: The changes in staff and other costs between Ofwat's Business Plans for 2007-8 and 2008-9 are detailed in the following table:

Ofwat set out in its 2008 strategy document Taking a forward look' that it needed to increase its budget for 2008-09 to take account of additional resources to deliver key projects including:

delivering the 2009 price review;

reviewing how it sets price limits in 2014;

promoting competition in consumers' interests;

enforcement; and

litigation and casework.

Ofwat's actual expenditure for the years 2007-08 and 2008-09 are available in its Resource Accounts, which are available on the website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department has issued on the implementation of the EU Water Directive. (291163)

DEFRA has issued two volumes of guidance to the Environment Agency on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, both titled River Basin Planning Guidance.

The first was published in August 2006 and sets out principles and key steps for the river basin planning process. The second was published in August 2008 and gives further consideration to the approach the Environment Agency should take in carrying out its river basin planning functions and the development of river basin management plans.

DEFRA has also published River Basin Management Planning in the Solway Tweed River Basin District, which sets out the expectations for the joint delivery of the Water Framework Directive in Solway Tweed, a cross border river basin district shared between England and Scotland.

All these guidance documents are published on the DEFRA website.

We expect guidance on the proposed Groundwater Regulations, implementing the Water Framework Directive groundwater daughter directive, to be published for consultation shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff from his Department are based in the provincial reconstruction team base in Lashkar Gar; what proportion of such staff (a) have left the perimeter of the base by road during their tour and (b) are performing roles which could be undertaken at Camp Bastion; and if he will make a statement. (291096)

There are over 140 UK, Danish and Estonian civilian and military staff working for the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT). Over 50 staff from the FCO, DFID, MOD and Stabilisation Unit work in the Lashkar Gah Main Operating Base.

Statistics on individual moves are not kept. However, based on staff functions, over 90 per cent. of the PRT staff will leave the Lashkar Gah base by road during their tour.

The PRT works primarily with the Afghan Government, which is based in Lashkar Gah and the district centres. PRT staff could not carry out their work from Camp Bastion, which is in the desert. Furthermore, staff are co-located with Task Force Helmand HQ in Lashkar Gah and with battlegroups in the district centres, in order to co-ordinate effectively with the military.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the value to farmers in Afghanistan of growing (a) pomegranates and (b) poppies in the latest period for which figures are available. (291015)

There are few data on returns to pomegranate farmers in Afghanistan. Estimates suggest that gross income could range from US $3,380 per hectare per year (Altai Consulting/UNDP, 2004) to $14,525 per hectare per year (Roots for Peace, 2009) after five to seven years maturation. The variation in gross income estimates depends on product quality, access to markets (including storage), price, yield and the proportion exported. However, set up costs can exceed $1,000 per hectare with the possibility of no return for the first four years following planting.

The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released a report on poppy cultivation and prices in early September 2009. It contained the following assessment:

“This year, opium farmers saw their (gross) earnings per hectare shrink by one quarter, to $3,562/ha down from $4,662/ha in 2008. Falling prices and lower cultivation this year caused a 40 per cent. collapse in the total farm-gate value of opium production in Afghanistan, which is valued at $438 million.”

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department has provided to Radio Erena to broadcast to Eritrea in the last three years; and if he will make a statement. (291140)

The Department for International Development (DFID) has not provided any support in the last three years to Radio Erena.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the monetary value of his Department's aid seized by the government of Sudan; what steps he is taking to ensure the return of that aid to the organisations to which it was directed; and if he will make a statement. (291139)

No aid was seized directly from the Department for International Development (DFID) by the Government of Sudan. It is estimated, however, that around £500,000 of British-funded goods were included in the seizures of assets from non government organisations (NGOs). The UK condemned the expulsion and closures of the 13 international NGOs and three local NGOs in unequivocal terms. We have consistently said that the best way to repair the damage was to revoke that action.

In partnership with the European Commission for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), USAID, and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), we have made it clear to the Sudan Government that the seizure of assets in this way was completely unacceptable. We expect it to make every effort to have the assets reassigned to other humanitarian programmes, as is common practice under closure or completion of DFID-funded humanitarian programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 28 October 2008, Official Report, column 956W, on housing, for what reasons the Housing Reform Green Paper will not be proceeded with; and which Minister took the decision not to proceed. (291149)

The Government have taken decisive action to ensure this country's housing needs are met. We have committed to investing £7.5 billion over two years to deliver up to 112,000 affordable homes and around 15,000 private homes, including £340 million to support local authorities in delivering new council housing. We have taken early action to provide people facing the threat of repossession with help at every stage of the process. I am also introducing a range of major reforms to the social and private rented sector. This includes the consultations I have recently published on a devolved system of responsibility and funding for council housing, a major review of the private rented sector and changes to social housing allocations to give councils more leeway on decisions to allocate housing in their area, and the initiative I have launched to clamp-down on fraud in the social sector. In addition, I will be setting out further details of the Government's plans to support housing recovery and ensure people have access to decent homes later this year. I therefore currently have no plans to pursue an additional housing reform green paper.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of suspected trafficked children who have gone missing from local authority care in each of the last five years. (291032)

The information requested is not collected centrally by the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what arrangements have been made for the full implementation within the National Referral Mechanism of the provision of Article 10.3 of the Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking in Human Beings giving children the benefit of the doubt where the age of the trafficked child is uncertain; and if he will make a statement. (291033)

Under the National Referral Mechanism for child victims of trafficking, where there are reasons to believe that a child is a victim of trafficking but there is uncertainty about their age, local age dispute or assessment procedures should be followed if necessary. Pending verification of their age, they will be presumed to be a child and will be referred to local authority Children’s Social Care for support and a detailed assessment of their protection or welfare needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how much was spent on the Sure Start Children’s Centres block of the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant in each financial year between 2003-04 and 2007-08; (291160)

Details of expenditure on the Children’s Centres revenue and capital blocks in each financial year between 2003-04 and 2007-08 are shown in the table.

The Childcare, Sufficiency and Access and Outcomes, Quality and Inclusion blocks were only created in 2008-09.

Therefore it is not possible to report expenditure on these specific blocks for the same period.

For information the table does show some details of expenditure on the inclusion and childcare assessment blocks that formed part of the grant in earlier years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what Sure Start children’s centres are open in Hendon; what services each provides; what (a) capital and (b) revenue funding for them has been provided by (i) the Government and (ii) the London Borough of Barnet; and what steps he plans to take to ensure their future security of funding. (291057)

London borough of Barnet currently has 14 Sure Start Children’s Centres up and running, of these three are in Hendon offering access to services to around 3,100 children under five and their families. There are no additional children’s centres planned for Hendon.

The Department allocates funding to local authorities for the capital start up and revenue costs of Sure Start Children’s Centres through the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant. It is for local authorities to determine how to allocate the funding between individual centres. The Department does not collect information on how much is allocated and spent at centre level. Information on the services provided by individual centres is available from the local Family Information Service. London borough of Barnet’s capital and revenue allocations for the delivery of Sure Start Children’s Centres for 2008-11 can be found in the following table. We are committed to delivering 3,500 Sure Start Children’s Centres by 2010, a children’s centre for every community so every family has easy access to high quality integrated services in their community and the benefits of Sure Start can be felt nationwide. Funding allocations beyond 2010-11 will be subject to future spending decisions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of students aged 16 to 18 years in each secondary school in Hendon were in receipt of education maintenance allowance in academic year 2008-09; what the expected equivalent figures are for 2009-10; and what assessment has been made of the effect of the allowance on numbers of pupils staying on in education in Hendon. (291058)

The number of students in receipt of education maintenance allowance (EMA) in Hendon is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the EMA for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Geoffrey Russell, the LSC's acting chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for Hendon with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

We do not have evidence to show the impact of EMA at a local level. However evaluation of the EMA pilots showed that EMA led to increases in participation nationally by 3.8 ppts for 16-year-olds and 4.1 ppts for 17-year-olds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils achieved (a) five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C and (b) five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics in 2009. (291129)

The information requested is not yet available. The requested figures will form a central part of a Statistical First Release (SFR) planned for 15 October 2009. Those figures will also be broken down by gender, school type and local authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in which five non-core curriculum subjects the number of GCSE entries was highest in (a) maintained comprehensive, (b) maintained selective, (c) maintained secondary modern and (d) independent schools in 2009. (291135)

The information requested forms part of the Department's data on GCSE achievement and attainment. Data for 2009 are not yet available. Any statistics based on these data will only be available for release after the publication of a Statistical First Release planned for 15 October 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which state schools in England serve a school population aged from three to 18 years old. (290860)

The following state schools in England serve a school population aged from three through to 18-years old.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the allocation for Barnet for (a) dedicated schools grant and (b) guaranteed funding per pupil is for (i) 2009, (ii) 2010 and (iii) 2011; what the change in per pupil funding was in (A) cash and (B) percentage terms between 1997 and 2009; and what (1) total and (2) per pupil funding allocation for Barnet for 2009-10 is for (aa) school development grant, (bb) school standards grant, (cc) school standards grant (personalisation), (dd) ethnic minority achievement grant, (ee) extended schools, (ff) primary strategy, (gg) school lunch grant, (hh) music services, (ii) harnessing technology (ICT) and (jj) devolved formula capital. (291059)

The Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for 2008-09 to 2010-11 (indicative) for Barnet local authority is shown in table 1 as follows. This covers pupils aged three to 15.

The guaranteed unit of funding for 2008-09 to 2010-11 for Barnet local authority is shown in table 2 as follows:

Per pupil revenue funding figures for pupils aged three to 19 for Barnet local authority for years 1997-98 and 2005-06 are shown in table 3. These figures are in cash terms.

The revenue per pupil figures shown in table 4 is taken from the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). They are not comparable with those for the years 1997-98 to 2005-06 (in table 3 above) because the introduction of the DSG in 2006-07 fundamentally changed how local authorities are funded.

The 1997-98 to 2005-06 figures are based on Education Formula Spending (EFS) which formed the education part of the Local Government Finance Settlement, plus various grants. This was an assessment of what local authorities needed to fund education rather than what they spent. The DSG is based largely on an authority's previous spending.

In addition, the DSG has a different coverage to EFS. EFS comprised a schools block and an LEA block (to cover LEA central functions) whereas DSG only covers the school block. LEA block items are still funded through DCLG's Local Government Finance Settlement but education items cannot be separately identified. Consequently, there is a break in the Department's time series as the two sets of data are not comparable.

To provide a comparison for 2008-09 DSG, the Department have isolated the schools block equivalent funding in 2005-06 (the baseline); as described above this does not represent the totality of 'education' funding in that year.

The total and per pupil revenue funding figures for 2005-06 and 2008-09 for Barnet local authority are provided in table 4 as follows. The figures are for all funded pupils aged three to 19 and are in cash terms:

The figures for Standards Funds are recorded according to allocation per authority not per pupil; the following table shows the total allocations that Barnet has been awarded in 2009-10 for grants that the hon. Member for Hendon requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools in Hendon have received central government capital funds other than devolved formula capital since 1997; how much each received in each year; for what purpose the grant was allocated in each year; and what the percentage difference was between capital expenditure on such schools in 1996-97 and 2009-10. (291060)

The Department allocates much of its capital resources on a local authority area basis. It then relies on the local authority to prioritise resources between schools, including any further resource available locally. Accordingly, records on the schools in Hendon which have received funding since 1997, and their purposes, are not held centrally and would be held locally by Barnet local authority. Allocations to Barnet between 1996-97 and 2009-10 are set out in the following table.

The allocation figures show the year the financial commitment was made by the Department. The £69.7 million in 2006-07 includes a Building Schools for the Future pathfinder allocation and an Academy, and the £40.3 million in 2009-10 includes an advance of funding brought forward from 2010-11 as part of the Government's fiscal stimulus.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when Ofsted plan to report on their review of special educational needs. (291020)

Ofsted's review of special educational needs and disabilities is planned to report in summer 2010. Further details about the review can be found at:

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/News/Ofsted-s-2009-10-review-of-the-framework-for-children-and-young-people-with-special-educational-needs-and-or-disabilities

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will commission research into educational provision for children in each category of special educational needs. (291021)

The Department for Children Schools and Families currently has an active programme of research across the special educational needs code of practice.

Research currently under way includes a project which is exploring the apparent variation in the prevalence of children with SEN, how they are classified in terms of both condition and Code of Practice stage of support, and the provision of services to support them, with a view to understanding how a more equitable service offer can be supported. We also have a programme of research under way which aims to improve the evidence base relating to developing services for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.

We are currently commissioning a formative and summative evaluation of the Achievement for All project and the approaches strategies, approaches and tools used within it, as well as an evaluation of a current programme to raise awareness of British Sign Language (BSL) and for increasing specialist work force able to provide courses in BSL being implemented in two pilot areas.

We also recently published a qualitative research study looking at parental confidence in the special educational needs assessment, statement and tribunal system.

Research projects funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families are published at:

www.dcsf.gov.uk/research

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teaching appointments were made in England in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what percentage of these appointments were newly qualified teachers. (291125)

The information is not available in the format requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for the former site of the Police Training College in Cwmbran. (288898)

I have been asked to reply.

Consideration is being given to disposal of the former Police Training College at Cwmbran, which is currently owned by the National Offender Management Service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what percentage of employees in his Department are (a) women and (b) men; and what the average hourly pay of (i) male and (ii) female employees is. (288304)

[holding answer 20 July 2009]: The percentage split is:

The average hourly rate of pay for male and female employees is not available.

The relatively new Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has been in existence since October 2008, and consists of posts taken from the former Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Since its creation, DECC has continued to use the pay provisions of its parent Departments. As a consequence, no separate DECC information on hourly pay rates is available, and could only be obtained by an exercise involving a review of the total HR systems and payrolls for both BERR and DEFRA. Therefore the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost to the Department. The effort required to administer your request would exceed the financial limit prescribed of £700, which represents the estimated cost of determining whether the Department holds the information, locating, retrieving and extracting the information.

For information on former BERR and DEFRA staffing issues, please see the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey statistics published by the Office for National Statistics. These can be found at the following website:

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/cs0109.pdf

These statistics are collected from the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey, but please note that the ONS collects the annual gross salary of civil servants and does not produce hourly rates of pay. The latest published statistics are for 31 March 2008, and consequently do not feature stats for DECC.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the level of vulnerability of the electricity supply network to malicious damage. (290927)

[holding answer 9 September 2009]: Electricity companies have a legal obligation to ensure their network is designed and maintained to protect the public and consumers from the dangers of electricity and provide quality and continuity of supply. These obligations are contained in the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 and enforced by DECC.

It is the responsibility of distribution companies to assess and manage the risks associated with the security of their network, including the prevention of unauthorised access to their network assets, and to put forward expenditure forecasts to Ofgem for an appropriate level of expenditure to meet their obligations. This is done on a five yearly basis as part of the price control review process. Ofgem has a role in evaluating this expenditure to ensure that the costs are efficient and is currently conducting this cost assessment process for the fifth price control review process which is due to take effect from 1 April 2010.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many incidents of malicious damage to the electricity network in the UK have been recorded in the last five years. (290930)

[holding answer 9 September 2009]: Since 1 April 2004 there have been nine supply interruptions reportable under the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 which were classified as an act of vandalism or unauthorised operation of equipment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effects of the conditions imposed by domestic energy suppliers on customers on social tariffs on their ability to change supplier; and if he will make a statement. (290884)

[holding answer 9 September 2009]: All customers are free to switch at any time provided that there is no outstanding debt on their account. There are no additional conditions for customers who are on their supplier’s social tariff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the number of households designated as being in fuel poverty which use (a) heating oil, (b) liquefied petroleum gas, (c) mains gas and (d) other systems of heating; and if he will make a statement. (290883)

[holding answer 9 September 2009]: The most recently available fuel poverty statistics relate to 2006. Figures for the number of households in fuel poverty in England are produced from analysis of the English House Condition Survey.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the merits of extending the remit of Ofgem to include responsibility for regulation of the bottled gas market. (290656)

[holding answer 9 September 2009]: The Gas Act 1986 (as amended), which among other things set up the gas regulatory bodies, exempted liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from its provisions. The Gas Act principally addressed the issues of setting up a regulatory regime to ensure that the national transmission system for gas users was not exploited. In contrast, there is no natural monopoly in the transport of LPG by road. The LPG market operates with a number of distributors competing for supply using alternative supply sources. In that sense, it is broadly similar to other products such as diesel and petrol.

The Department has not therefore made an assessment of the merits of extending the remit of Ofgem to include responsibility for regulation of the market for LPG. My officials however have had meetings with Consumer Focus to contribute to its assessment of the market in Great Britain for the supply of LPG and heating oil for domestic use.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the reported (a) 84 per cent. increase in helicopter hours and (b) 60 per cent. increase in the number of helicopters available to British forces in Afghanistan includes helicopters provided by coalition forces transporting UK armed forces. (289114)

The 60 per cent. increase in the number of helicopters and the 84 per cent. increase in helicopter hours available to UK forces in Afghanistan relate to the period from November 2006 to April 2009; these increases do not include helicopters or helicopter hours provided by other coalition forces.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the journalist Michael Yon is no longer embedded with British armed forces in Afghanistan. (290966)

Opportunities to embed with Task Force Helmand are in high demand from across the media—national, regional, print, broadcast, specialist and new media. It is not possible to meet all requests and slots must be time-limited to ensure that the opportunities are shared as widely as possible. A normal embed for a national news organisation will last on average around two to three weeks, including time for travel.

Michael Yon had been embedded with British forces on a number of occasions before his recent visit—twice in Iraq in 2007, and once in Afghanistan in 2008. His latest embed had been scheduled to last for two weeks but it was extended to take account of delays to his arrival.

In all, his stay was extended twice and he was embedded for five weeks—much longer than is normally the case, and longer than had been agreed with him before he went. He was facilitated by British forces in a number of locations and given a high level of access both to the operations and to our personnel. At the end of this five-week period Task Force Helmand ended his embed as they were no longer able to support it given their other commitments, including other media visits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of (a) Jackal, (b) Panther and (c) Viking vehicles in Afghanistan are fully operational. (290967)

I am withholding this information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of our armed forces in Afghanistan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of food consumed by members of the armed forces in Helmand province consisted of locally-grown agricultural products in the latest period for which figures are available. (291016)

No locally produced food has been procured for British troops in Helmand Province by the MOD Food Supply Contractor.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Tornado airframes deployed to Afghanistan have been unserviceable for more than 30 days since the date of deployment since 2001. (291075)

One Tornado aircraft deployed to Afghanistan has been unserviceable for more than 30 days; this has had no operational impact.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many helicopter journeys have been made to transfer civilian staff to and from the provincial reconstruction team base in Lashkar Gar in the last 12 months; how many of these were for the transport of civilian staff (a) stationed at and (b) visiting the base; and if he will make a statement. (291097)

This information is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of the budget of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom was spent in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) Wales in each of the last 12 months. (290782)

[holding answer 9 September 2009]: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has received requests for UK troops to be deployed to Afghanistan from (a) NATO and (b) individual NATO member states in the last six months. (290836)

[holding answer 9 September 2009]: As announced by the Prime Minister at the NATO summit on 3-4 April, the UK deployed an additional 700 troops to Afghanistan following a request from NATO earlier in the year for forces to support the Afghan presidential elections.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel have served in Afghanistan since 2001. (290887)

[holding answer 9 September 2009]: As at 1 August 2009, 71,560 members of the UK armed forces have been identified as having deployed to Afghanistan. This includes UK regular forces, Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel and mobilised reservists.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cases of bullying in each of the armed forces have been reported in each year since 1997. (291046)

The following table reflects the number of bullying complaints reported since October 2006 for each service. Some tri-service defence organisations do not record the service to which the complainant belongs. Statistical data prior to October 2006 are not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of the budget of the Defence Medical Services was spent in Scotland in each of the last five years. (290780)

[holding answer 9 September 2009]: Medical policy for the Defence Medical Services (DMS) is overseen by the Surgeon General's Department (SGD). However, the organisational structure of the DMS means that comprehensive costs by location can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

In Scotland, as in the rest of the UK, the majority of secondary health care is provided in NHS hospitals. The single service medical services are responsible for delivering primary health care to their respective service commanders-in-chief. This includes local medical centres (including GP surgeries), Regional Rehabilitation Units (including one in Edinburgh) and military Departments of Community Mental Health (including three in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness). Owing to the number of different internal budgets to which costs would be attributable, any detailed analysis of the budget spent in Scotland would incur disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what expenditure his Department incurred on postgraduate education for serving members of the armed forces normally based in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Ireland in each year since 1997. (291179)

The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was charged to occupants of Modern Housing Solutions housing for damage to that housing in each financial year since 1997. (291045)

Details of the total amounts charged are only available from November 2007 and represent the charges for all service family accommodation (SFA) in Great Britain (up to 31 March 2008) and the UK thereafter. The charges were as follows:

These charges also cover SFA properties in Scotland, which are not maintained by Modern Housing Solutions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future training for members of the Indonesian Kopassus Special Forces by the UK Joint Counter-Terrorist Training and Advisory Team; and if he will make a statement. (290913)

[holding answer 9 September 2009]: The MOD provides military advice and assistance to Indonesia as part of normal security cooperation and wider UK Government relations, as the Government do with many countries worldwide.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take to improve the provision of mental health services to serving and former members of the armed forces. (291119)

MOD takes very seriously its responsibility to provide high-quality mental healthcare to its personnel, and Defence Medical Services' mental health practitioners remain in touch with the latest advances and developments in treatment in order to ensure that patients receive the most effective and efficient management, subject to proper scientific evaluation and comparison with current effective treatments. We sponsor research and epidemiological studies that address aspects of the mental health of both the in-service and veteran populations. We also maintain a close dialogue with the military medical services of our principal allies, to share understanding and best practice. Additionally, our Academic Centre for Defence Mental Health, based at King's College London, is constantly reviewing the development of new treatments across the national and international spectrum and producing advice accordingly.

Diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders in members of the armed forces are performed by trained and accredited mental health personnel. In Afghanistan, we deploy uniformed mental health nurses to provide in-theatre care and treatment for our personnel. If personnel need to leave the operational environment, then their care continues either on an out- or in-patient basis in the UK or their permanent base overseas.

In the UK, our mental health services for military personnel are configured to provide community-based mental health care, primarily through our 15 military Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMH) across the UK (plus centres overseas), which provide out-patient mental healthcare. The DCMH mental health teams, comprising psychiatrists, mental health nurses, clinical psychologists and mental health social workers, have particular expertise in treatments for psychological injury.

For the relatively small number of military patients who need it, in-patient care is currently provided by a group of seven NHS trusts located throughout England and Scotland, led by South Staffordshire and Shropshire NHS Foundation Trust (SSSFT) through a central MOD contract.

When personnel leave military service their healthcare becomes the responsibility of the NHS. Ex-Service personnel receive good treatment from their GPs but we recognise that many health professionals have limited experience of dealing with veterans who have mental health symptoms arising from their Service experience. The MOD, the four health departments and the Combat Stress charity have been working together with clinical experts and the Health and Social Care Advisory Service (HASCAS) to develop a new model of community based mental healthcare that will address assessment and treatment of veterans' mental health problems in the long term.

The community mental health model is NHS-led and reflects NHS best practice. Two-year pilots, tailored to local circumstances, are operating at Staffordshire and Shropshire Foundation Healthcare Trust, Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust, Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust, Tees Esk and Wear NHS Trust, Cornwall NHS Partnership, and NHS Lothian (led by the Scottish Executive). Evaluation of the pilot areas is now underway; early results from all six are encouraging, with evidence that veterans feel able to access and use the service with confidence. Informed by the results of the evaluation the service will be rolled out across the UK. In the interim, for areas not yet involved in the pilots, veterans with operational service after 1982 who are concerned about their mental health can attend our Medical Assessment Programme based at St. Thomas' hospital, for specialist mental health assessment by a consultant psychiatrist with extensive military experience.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel normally based in Scotland were referred to the Priory Clinic as (a) inpatients and (b) outpatients in each year since 2003. (291175)

An interim arrangement for the contracting of service mental health provision was signed with the Priory Group commencing in December 2003. The full contract, whereby the Priory Group became the primary provider of in-patient mental health provision, commenced on 1 April 2004.

The available data are anonymised for reasons of patient confidentiality. Therefore, it is not possible to identify which patients from all those treated would be categorised as service personnel normally based in Scotland.

From the available information the following numbers of in-patients were treated at the Glasgow Priory Clinic since 2003 but referrals could have included patients from locations outside Scotland:

Out-patient care is usually provided by the MOD’s military departments of Community Mental Health, of which there are three in Scotland located at Leuchars (Edinburgh), Faslane (Glasgow) and Kinloss (Inverness). The only specific out-patient only referrals that we contract for is the provision of psychology treatment. This element of the Priory contract commenced in 2006 and the total number of patients referred can be found in the table:

The contract with the Priory Group has been replaced by a new one, awarded in November 2008 following open competition, with a partnership of seven NHS trusts led by South Staffordshire and Shropshire NHS Foundation Trust.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what grounds applications to join the armed forces may be rejected. (291044)

The armed forces’ aim is to recruit the required numbers of high calibre personnel, irrespective of their race, ethnic origin, religion or gender and without reference to social background or sexual orientation, into the Naval Service, Army and Royal Air Force, in order to meet operational requirements. However, applications may be rejected for the following reasons:

Age

Medical

Security vetting e.g. nationality and residency rules

Education/qualifications

Suitability at interview

Criminal convictions including drugs

Debt

Incompatible religious belief e.g. Satanists

Offensive or obscene tattoos.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many times and at what locations depleted uranium shells have been test-fired in Scotland in each of the last five years; (291180)

Depleted uranium shells were test-fired at the MOD-owned Kirkcudbright Range in Scotland on 11 and 12 March 2008. This is the only occasion on which depleted uranium shells have been test-fired in the last five years; 20 shells were fired in total. The estimated cost of the test-firing is £60,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of (a) the Global Positioning System and (b) NIDAR radar for missile tracking. (291022)

There is no proposal to use the Global Positioning System (GPS) for missile tracking, although under QinetiQ’s proposed changes to the operation of the MOD Hebrides Range, aerial targets would be tracked via GPS.

QinetiQ’s proposals also include tracking missiles via the existing G Band Radars on South Uist, which have increasingly taken over from the I Band NIDIR Radars on St. Kilda. The primary capability of NIDIR Radars is tracking missiles at long range and low level.