To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of
Kimble on 15 March (HL5998), (1) when did Network Rail seek the Environment Agency's
assurance in providing assistance to relieve the flood problems at Cowley Bridge Junction,
(2) when the Environment Agency responded to that request, and in what form, (3) when
is Network Rail expected to respond to this request, (4) how long the Environment
Agency forecasts it will take to assess the consequences of the structure, and (5)
in the meantime, what assessment has been made of the flood risk to the railway and
surrounding area.
<p>The Environment Agency (EA) agreed in 2014, following flooding of the railway line
in 2012 and 2013/14, to assist Network Rail in finding a technically appropriate solution
to the problem, whilst ensuring that it does not conflict with the £30 million investment
in new flood defences in Exeter.</p><p> </p><p>The EA has had regular meetings with
Network Rail to provide advice on its culvert installation and weir removal works
at Cowley Bridge. The EA has also been working with Network Rail since November 2017
to advise on the flood risk modelling for its weir removal proposals. This includes
the EA providing flood history information, geomorphology commentary and examples
of issues experienced in other local weir removal projects.</p><p> </p><p>The EA has
also established a team to assist Network Rail with the technical and permitting requirements
of both phases of its works at Cowley Bridge, and has accelerated the issuing of permits
for the culvert works.</p><p> </p><p>Network Rail’s modelling is expected to be completed
in spring 2018 and on completion the EA will provide feedback on the outputs. This
is to ensure that Network Rail’s proposals do not increase flood risk to residential
properties or adversely impact on the level of protection provided by new flood defences
in Exeter. The EA will prioritise this work to ensure a timely response to Network
Rail.</p><p> </p><p>Although flood risk models have been available for discrete areas
around Exeter and the Cowley Bridge location since 2005, no single model takes account
of the whole system or all watercourses. The EA is working with Network Rail to ensure
its latest modelling is comprehensive. In the interim there is a flood warning system
for Cowley Bridge. This has been in place since 2012, with improvements to the forecasting
model introduced in November 2017.</p><p> </p>
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many further education colleges rated (1) good,
or (2) outstanding, by Ofsted were not included on the Register of Apprenticeship
Training Providers announced on 14 March.
<p>More than 1,700 providers made it onto the Register of Apprenticeship Training
Providers (the Register) in the first round – three quarters of those who applied
– including 173 FE colleges. There were no further education colleges rated outstanding
by Ofsted that were not included, however seventeen colleges that were rated good
overall by Ofsted were not included on the basis that they failed to meet the broader
set of criteria against which all applicants were assessed. To ensure excellence for
apprenticeship provision we cannot compromise on our commitment to rigorous quality
tests for apprenticeship training.</p><p>We have already re-opened the Register for
new applications and to allow those who were unsuccessful to reapply. We will announce
the results by the end of May. We have provided detailed feedback to providers who
were not successful in their initial application, to help them understand what they
need to do to be successful in the future.</p><p>The new Register opens up the current
apprenticeship market to wider competition. We have sought to encourage new providers
to come forward who do not have a tradition of delivering apprenticeships. There are
451 organisations that we consider to have no previous history of delivering apprenticeships.
These include Universities, charities, public sector bodies, employers and other private/commercial
providers. This will give employers a wider choice of providers and create a broader
range of training for individual apprentices to benefit from.</p>
<p>The average (mean) cost to the public purse of a Parliamentary by-election since
2010 is £228,964. This comprises two main elements: the costs incurred by Returning
Officers in running the poll; and the cost of delivering election mailings produced
by candidates. The costs of running the three most recent by-elections, for which
the Returning Officer’s expenses have not yet been settled, have not been factored
into this average figure.</p>
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with Mahmoud Abbas
on continuing the negotiations with Israel for a two-state solution.
<p>The Government is having regular discussions about the current peace talks with
the Palestinian Authority and the Government of Israel. The Secretary of State for
Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks)
(Mr Hague), most recently had a discussion on 3 April with Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas about the peace process. The Foreign Secretary met with the Israeli Minister
for Intelligence, International Relations and Strategic Affairs, Yuval Steinitz on
8 April where they discussed the latest in the peace process.</p>
