A round-table discussion was held with Transport for the North, local authorities and other interested stakeholders at the end of February 2015 regarding the scope of the northern trans-Pennine strategic study. That study will consider the possible dualling of the A69 or the A66, or both, and technical work will start in the summer of 2015.

As a result of the clear no vote in the referendum, there remain no barriers to trade across the whole of the UK. Nothing in the draft clauses changes that.

My Department continues to work closely and effectively with the Sierra Leonean Government to defeat Ebola, and our strategy is working—there are now signs that the infection rate is falling. We are far from complacent, however, because many cases remain, and we will see our mission through to the very end.

Since the last session of DFID questions, I have attended the Gavi replenishment conference in Berlin, at which Gavi surpassed its replenishment target of $7.5 billion from donors, which will help to immunise 300 million additional children and save more than 5 million lives. The Government have confirmed an additional commitment to Gavi of £1 billion in funding from 2016 to 2020.

I fear I might let down my hon. Friend because we have no plans—unfortunately—to visit his barracks, unless he makes me an offer I cannot refuse. However, we all look forward to the moment when 3 Regiment Royal Horse Artillery replaces 39 Regiment Royal Artillery later this year. I know of the great work he does in supporting his barracks, and of course he will welcome 3 Regiment Royal Horse Artillery when it moves in.

The Department is working on the 2012-based Household Projections and publication is planned for February 2015.

The same methodology is being used as for the 2011-based projections. This means that the ONS 2012-based population projections (already published at local authority level) provide a good initial indication of likely household growth to feed into local authorities’ assessments of housing requirements.

Household projections are a starting point for local authority assessments of housing need but local factors are also important. It is for local planning authorities to determine the impact that they have on their Local Plans, which will inevitably differ from area to area.

The specific publication date will be pre-announced in the usual way for National Statistics.

The Government understands the concerns of British dairy farmers over the current pressures caused by the price volatility of the global market. I brought forward a meeting of the Dairy Supply Chain Forum to 19 November to discuss ways of tackling this issue and Ministers and officials are both in regular contact with industry. In particular, we are working to help farmers to manage the short term impact of price volatility and maximise its potential. We have given dairy farmers the opportunity for greater influence in the marketplace through uniting in Producer Organisations. The new Countryside Productivity Scheme, which will start in 2015, will include grants for investment in equipment, start-up activity for young farmers, and projects to help tackle endemic diseases.

The long term prospects for growth in the dairy sector are good and UK dairy exports are now at record levels reaching £1.3billion last year, a nominal increase of 62% since 2009. We are pushing within Europe for better Country of Origin labelling for British dairy products. In the past year we have opened new markets for UK dairy in Cuba, Honduras, and Madagascar which supported 47% year on year growth in non-EU dairy exports in 2014.

A copy of the National Planning Policy Framework is available in the Library of the House and on the following website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/6077/2116950.pdf

There is no 'section A85', but the section entitled Protecting Green Belt land includes paragraph 85 which sets out policy on how Green Belt boundaries should be defined.

Below is a link to recent Green Belt guidance:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-rules-further-strengthen-green-belt-protections

The Ovingham Bridge scheme is grant funded through the Department’s Local Pinch Point Fund. The Department monitors progress through quarterly returns submitted by Northumberland County Council. The detailed programme and project management is a matter for the local authority as scheme promoter.

The most recent return reports that construction began last March and the scheme is due for completion in July 2015.

As we have heard, mobile communication is critical to the rural economy. We are therefore working with Ofcom to identify gaps in mobile coverage, and I have consulted on potential measures to tackle patchy coverage. In addition, the Government have allocated £9.5 million to increase superfast broadband coverage in Northumberland to almost 90% by 2016.

At the outset of this process, Lord Smith set out a number of guiding principles underpinning cross-party talks. They included the principle that the proposals should strengthen Scottish devolution and the Scottish Parliament within the United Kingdom, and that they should not cause detriment to the UK as a whole or to any of its constituent parts.

We are actively implementing our Forestry and Woodlands Policy commitments to protect, improve and expand our forests. Specifically in relation to commercial forestry, this includes working with the sector’s Grown in Britain initiative to make planting new commercial woodland more economically attractive, and encouraging private sector investment through our Woodland Carbon Code. We are also looking at ways of reducing red tape affecting woodland planting and helping forestry businesses to become more competitive through the Rural Development Programme.

The Government has a long standing relationship with the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) which has seen the successful negotiation of £289.3m to support economic growth in the first round of Growth Deals announced in July 2014.

The Government is engaged in on-going dialogue with all LEPs about the shape of the next round of Growth Deals, including the North East LEP.

We have introduced a £1 billion business rate support package for 2014-15 including:

– a 2% cap in the Retail Price Index increase in the small business rates multiplier

– a retail discount of £1,000 for around 300,000 shops, pubs and restaurants with rateable values below £50,000

– a 12 month extension of small business rate relief doubling, benefitting over half a million businesses

– a 50 per cent discount for new occupants of long-term vacant shops, and

– allowing ratepayers to pay bills over 12 instalments.

In the attached tables, Table 1 give figures for Northumberland Unitary Authority and Table 2 gives figures for England.