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176719

registered interest
date	29/01/2015
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Bank Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of (a) levels of bank account switching by customers, (b) trends in bank account switching in the last three years, (c) the average time it takes for customers to switch banks and (d) the process for switching banks and customers' perceptions of the ease or difficulty of so doing.
tabling member constituency	Esher and Walton
tabling member printed	Mr Dominic Raab
uin	222656
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2015 answer text <p>The Government charged the UK banking industry with delivering a new Current Account Switch Service to make it simpler, safer, and faster to switch current account providers. The new service launched in September 2013, and so far has had a positive impact with switching levels increasing by 22 per cent in its first year, compared to the previous year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Payments Council publish a “switching dashboard” quarterly, which is available on their website and includes information on awareness, confidence, service performance, and switching levels.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 03/02/2015 10:14:26 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4007 label Biography information for Dominic Raab

176736

registered interest
date	29/01/2015
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Welfare Assistance Schemes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people received access grants from the Local Welfare Assistance fund in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 in Birmingham.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Northfield
tabling member printed	Richard Burden
uin	222723
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2015 answer text <p /> <p>This information is not held by the Department for Work and Pensions. We have a record of the total funding allocated to the local authority, but how the local authority has spent the money would need to be provided by that local authority.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 03/02/2015 11:20:44 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
tabling member	301 label Biography information for Richard Burden

176743

registered interest
date	29/01/2015
answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Broadband: Cumbria
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he expects Phase 2 of Connecting Cumbria to be complete; and what estimate he has made of how many premises in Copeland will receive high speed broadband in that phase.
tabling member constituency	Copeland
tabling member printed	Mr Jamie Reed
uin	222689
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2015 answer text <p>Connecting Cumbria has not yet begun the contracting process for a phase 2 superfast broadband project. The government expects the contracting to be complete by June 2015. The coverage and timescale for delivery from this contract will be dependent on the outcome of the procurement process.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 03/02/2015 13:09:46 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
tabling member	1503 label Biography information for Mr Jamie Reed

176750

registered interest
date	29/01/2015
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Asbestos
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will issue guidance on removing asbestos insulating board which is vulnerable to disturbance or damage from children.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	222726
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2015 answer text <p>The Department for Education has undertaken a review of its policy on asbestos in schools, which will be published shortly.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The advice for schools on effective asbestos management is based on guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). HSE recommend that, if asbestos is undamaged and unlikely to be disturbed, then it is usually safer to leave it in place and to manage it as required by the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. If asbestos is found to be in an unsealed, damaged or poor condition, then it should be repaired, sealed, enclosed or removed by trained personnel.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Yeovil answering member printed Mr David Laws question first answered 03/02/2015 14:24:47 answering member 1473 label Biography information for Mr David Laws
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

176752

registered interest
date	29/01/2015
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Asbestos
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department last reviewed its guidance on assessing the risks from asbestos insulating board accessible to children in schools.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	222725
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2015 answer text <p>The Department for Education has undertaken a review of guidance relating to asbestos in schools as part of a wider review of asbestos management in schools, the results of which will be published shortly.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Yeovil answering member printed Mr David Laws question first answered 03/02/2015 14:23:27 answering member 1473 label Biography information for Mr David Laws
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

176755

registered interest
date	29/01/2015
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Asbestos
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of former pupils who will be diagnosed with mesothelioma from asbestos exposure at school during the 1960s and 1970s.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	222728
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2015 answer text <p>The Department for Education is not aware of data on the number of former pupils who may be diagnosed with mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure at school.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Yeovil answering member printed Mr David Laws question first answered 03/02/2015 14:26:45 answering member 1473 label Biography information for Mr David Laws
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

176756

registered interest
date	29/01/2015
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Asbestos
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will adopt and implement environmental asbestos fibre board for schools.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	222727
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2015 answer text <p>The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for policy on the regulation of asbestos, and provides guidance on effective asbestos management.[1]</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department for Education has undertaken a review of its policy on asbestos management in schools and will publish the results shortly.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>[1] <a href="http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/detail.htm" target="_blank">www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/detail.htm</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Yeovil answering member printed Mr David Laws question first answered 03/02/2015 14:25:48 answering member 1473 label Biography information for Mr David Laws
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

176767

registered interest
date	29/01/2015
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Ground Water
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the total area of (a) England and (b) Wales covered by groundwater protection zones (i) 1, (ii) 2 and (iii) 3.
tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
tabling member printed	Tom Greatrex
uin	222700
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2015 answer text <p>Approximately 15% of the area of England is covered by defined Source Protection Zones (SPZs) 1, 2 and 3.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>- SPZ1s cover approximately 2,000 km<sup>2 </sup>(1.5%) of the area of England.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>- SPZ2s, which include the area covered by SPZ1s, cover approximately 7,700 km<sup>2</sup> (6.5%) of the area of England.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>- SPZ3s, which include the area covered by SPZ1s and SPZ2s, cover approximately 20,000 km<sup>2</sup> (15%) of the area of England.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In addition, a large number of small private water supplies will be considered to be within an SPZ1 and SPZ2, and may amount to an additional 5%.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Welsh Government is responsible for SPZs in Wales.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 03/02/2015 10:25:29 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	4047 label Biography information for Tom Greatrex

176768

registered interest
date	29/01/2015
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Plastic Bags
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reasons small and medium-sized enterprises are exempted from the provisions of the draft B Single Use Carrier Bags Charges (England) Order 2015; and if she will bring forward a revised draft Order omitting that exemption.
tabling member constituency	St Austell and Newquay
tabling member printed	Stephen Gilbert
uin	222668
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2015 answer text <p>We have chosen to exempt small and medium businesses (with fewer than 250 employees) from the plastic bag charge to avoid placing an administrative burden on start-up and growing businesses at a time when we are supporting growth in the economy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Large companies make up the major proportion of the country’s retail market. For example, the relatively small number of retail companies in the UK with more than 500 employees employ 65% of people working in retail and have 69% of annual retail business turnover.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We have no plans to remove the exemption for small and medium businesses, although those businesses are able to charge on a voluntary basis.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 03/02/2015 10:21:51 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	4101 label Biography information for Stephen Gilbert

176769

registered interest
date	29/01/2015
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Common Agricultural Policy
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department defines the term active farmer for the purposes of applications for basic farm payments under the reformed CAP; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Thirsk and Malton
tabling member printed	Miss Anne McIntosh
uin	222673
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2015 answer text <p>The active farmer test is set out in the European Regulations, but aspects remain to be interpreted by Member States. Farmers who operate certain non-agricultural activities, comprising waterworks, railway services, airports, real estate services, or permanent sport and recreational grounds, will be ineligible for direct payments unless they meet the ‘readmission criteria’ or received less than €5,000 in direct payments in the previous year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A business will be readmitted if it: provides evidence that its annual amount of direct payments is at least 5% of the total receipts that it obtained from non-agricultural activities; has an eligible area of at least 36 ha (the median average size of a farm in England); or provides evidence that its agricultural receipts are at least 40% of its total receipts.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We believe the active farmer test risks discouraging farm diversification and may lead to needless restructuring, while offering no benefit to tenants or others who make their living from farming. It is also a burden on both applicants and administrators. We will be arguing in future reform negotiations that the test be optional for the Member State.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><br></p><p> </p><p> </p><p><br></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 03/02/2015 13:02:23 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering