The average length of time taken by Veterans UK and its predecessors to deal with War Disablement Pensions (WDP) and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) claims are detailed in the table below:

Note:

¹As at 31 December 2014

For financial year 2014-15, the Department for Education has already published the number of pupils eligible for the pupil premium and illustrative allocations for schools in December 2013, based on free school meal figures gathered up to and including the January 2013 school census. This information is published online at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2013-to-2014-final-allocation-tables

The final allocations for 2015-16 based on the January 2015 school census figures will then be published towards the end of 2015 or early 2016.

The Government have consulted on how to fund local welfare provision in 2015-16. The Department for Communities and Local Government, with the Treasury and the Department for Work and Pensions, is analysing responses, alongside the DWP review into current provision. The Government will make a decision by the provisional local government finance settlement.

On 30 October the Government published its response to the new psychoactive substances review expert panel’s report. We have committed to look at the feasibility of a general prohibition on the distribution of non-controlled new
psychoactive substances, through testing and developing of legislative proposals, in the UK context. This work has begun and we will set out further detail on these proposals in due course.

Our letter of 30 October to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs committed us to keeping the Council updated as we develop this approach

The Marine Management Organisation, on behalf of the Government, is continuing to try to secure international quota swaps from other Member States, but the quotas are in short supply and there are currently no pending swaps to bring skate and ray quotas into the UK.

Guidance on undertaking Transport Assessments and Statements has been set out in the Planning Practice Guidance for everyone using the planning system, including local planning authorities and the Planning Inspectorate.

It is for the local planning authority in considering planning applications or the Planning Inspector in considering planning appeals to consider whether improvements can be undertaken within the transport network that cost effectively limit the significant impact of the development on traffic levels, and determine whether the residual cumulative impacts of development are severe.

A trainee soldier under the age of 18 wishing to exercise their statutory right to discharge from Army Foundation College Harrogate does so in accordance with standard procedures.

Once a recruit has expressed such an intent to their Platoon Commander, they complete, with appropriate guidance, an Application for Premature Voluntary Release Form, supported by a letter. They are interviewed by their Platoon and Company Commanders, with confirmation that their parent or guardian has been informed of the pending discharge and is content to take over responsibility for the individual. The recruit is given a one-day Career Guidance Workshop, where a team of qualified guidance counsellors help early leavers decide on their next steps.

The recruit receives an Early Service Leaver Resettlement Brief and has a final interview with the Commanding Officer before the administrative process is finalised and completed.

I am attaching a copy of the Flow Diagram which shows the steps taken during this process, together with Army Form B 132A, Application For Premature Voluntary Release.

All Army recruits under the age of 18 are repeatedly informed both verbally and in writing of their statutory right of discharge, during enlistment and training.

The essential role that welfare services play in the training, development and retention of recruits under 18 is emphasised in the Army Foundation College Supervisory Care Directive. Every effort is made to ensure that access to welfare and pastoral care is available to recruits at all times. The Supervisory Care Directive is currently being reviewed. Once the review is complete the document will be placed in the Library of the House.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the then Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Mr Robathan) on 7 February 2011, (Official Report, columns 26-7W) to the hon. Member for Leeds North East (Fabian Hamilton).

Pupil premium funding is allocated to state-funded schools for each financial year rather than by school year, primarily on the basis of the number of pupils recorded in the January school census as having been registered for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the last 6 years. A smaller proportion of pupils attract the pupil premium on the basis of being looked after, or having left care through adoption or under a Special Guardianship, Residence or Child Arrangements Order.

The Department for Education has published illustrative pupil premium funding allocations for the financial year 2014-15, based on census data from 2013. Final allocations for 2014-15 will be published later in the year, based on pupil data gathered through the January 2014 school census and the spring 2014 children looked after data return (and also the October 2014 school census, for adopted and other previously looked after pupils who were not recorded as such in the January 2014 school census).

From the data on which the published illustrative allocations for 2014-15 are based, the Department estimates that 430,350 pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 will attract pupil premium funding on the basis of having been registered for FSM at any point in the last 6 years.

Pupil premium final allocations for the financial year 2015-16 will be based on pupil data gathered through the forthcoming January 2015 school census and the spring 2015 children looked after data return. Final allocations for 2015-16 will be published towards the end of 2015. To ensure we have the best estimates, we are working with primary schools and local authorities so that registration rates for benefits-related FSM are maintained for pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 classes.

The Better Care Fund is a pooled budget of £3.8 billion to be spent on integrating Health and Social care. Local areas will decide how best to use their funding to transform the provision of services to their communities, both improving outcomes for people, and driving efficiencies.

Both VisitBritain and VisitEngland actively promote North Devon as part of their marketing campaigns. The forthcoming £3 million ‘Countryside is GREAT’ campaign is due to be launched in 2015 and will feature UK national parks, including Exmoor. North Devon has also benefited from a number of VisitEngland’s recent Growing Tourism Locally Programme thematic marketing campaigns, funded through the Regional Growth Fund, and including Outdoor Activities and the English Seaside Campaigns.