As in many areas, we are competing in a global marketplace and that can be challenging, given the different circumstances in different countries. Of course that is why many of the measures we have set out in the Budget and elsewhere try to support companies in this country, particularly those with high energy usage. We will continue to do that because it is important for building the stronger economy we all want to see.

Land Registry does not hold the information on the number of occasions where applications for adverse possession have been registered in the last 3 years. ‘Adverse Possessions’ fall within the general category ‘First Registrations’ which, as the name suggests, are applications for title to unregistered land.

The hon. Lady rightly touches on the key outstanding issue, and I certainly believe it would be appropriate to consider the indirect supply chains. I am happy to talk to my colleague the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs about that particular issue, but I think she will find that there is a legislative obstacle.

The Government have taken strong action to create a low-carbon economy, including setting up the Green Investment Bank and a catapult centre dedicated to new renewables, and electricity market reform. Through the Department’s industrial strategy,

we are working with industry to increase green jobs via sector-specific strategies for the offshore wind and nuclear industries.

I am aware of the hon. Lady’s concern about the areas of outstanding natural beauty in Yorkshire, which she represents. There is indeed an expression of interest, but there are very strong environmental and safety protections around shale gas drilling, and I am sure she will look forward to the extra development that this will produce in her constituency in due course.

As required under Section 11 of the Postal Services Act 2011, the Secretary of State lays a report before Parliament providing details of Post Office Ltd’s network. The most recent of these reports was laid in July 2014.

These annual network reports show the following:

In 2010 this Government made a clear commitment to end the closure programmes of the previous administration. Since 2010 we have committed nearly £2 billion to maintain, modernise and protect the Post Office network, and these figures show that the size of the network is at its most stable for a generation.

I refer my hon Friend to the response to her recent written question, UIN 212643.

To be clear, the Government is securing, modernising and protecting the Post Office network across all communities in the UK – including, or course, branches in rural communities.

Since 2012, the Network Transformation programme has seen over 3,400 branches modernised, and a further 3,400 branches designated as Community Branches. These branches are the last shop in the community, and many are in rural and remote communities. Community Branches are benefitting from access to the £20 million Government funded Community Branch Fund, which is providing investment into these socially important branches.

The Government has committed nearly £2 billion since 2010 to maintain a network of at least 11,500 branches and to protect and modernise the network by 2018, securing its long-term sustainable future. The Post Office is continuing to meet strict access criteria that see, for example, 99% of the population living within three miles of a Post Office outlet.

The Post Office is also modernising and improving its national network, with thousands of branches benefiting from investment under the Government funded Network Transformation programme. To date over 3,300 post offices have already converted, to the new Local and Main models, delivering benefits to customers such as much longer opening hours and improved branch environments. In total, these modernised branches are providing over 85,000 additional opening hours a week; ensuring customers can access Post Office services at a time convenient to them.

Additionally, where a post office is “the last shop in the community”, which is the case in many rural communities, that branch is designated as a Community Branch, and is able to access and benefit from the £20 million Government funded Community Branch Fund.

The York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Growth Deal is part of the £12 billion long-term programme to revitalise local economies.

The Growth Deal for York, North Yorkshire and East Riding will see investment of £110 million to support economic growth in the area, including creating up to 4,000 jobs and allowing up to 5,000 homes to be built. As the Leader of North Yorkshire Council said “this long-term investment from Government recognises the potential of the rural economy in York, North Yorkshire and East Riding”. I am determined that we build on this and officials are currently discussing with the local enterprise partnership its priorities for the next round of Growth Deals, as well as advising and supporting on delivery arrangements for projects that have already received funding.

North Yorkshire did pretty well out of the local growth fund. It has the BioVale campus, which I know my hon. Friend is strongly in favour of. Such was the calibre of the projects that we were able to allocate

£6 billion of investment. I am now keen to move on to the next set of allocations, and she has just made a strong pitch for investment in her area.

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) provides a wide range of export services to small businesses, including small businesses located in rural areas. Those services include access to UKTI’s network of trade advisers who help companies develop their export potential, as well as support for companies to attend overseas missions and exhibitions. When overseas, small companies can access support from UKTI teams in more than 100 international markets.

In the past 12 months, UKTI has supported 29 companies in Thirsk Malton and Filey.

The Start-Up Loans programme commenced in 2012.

No Regional Growth Fund (RGF) awards have been made in the constituency of Thirsk and Malton.

The following table shows the number of projects and programmes in the region that have been awarded RGF grants in Rounds 1-4 and the years in which the selected bidders for each round were announced.

Selected bidders for Round 5 were announced in April 2014 and Round 5 contracting is under way.

Businesses in the North of England can apply to regional and national RGF programmes for support.

We continue to work hard to provide the right support to make life easier for small and medium sized businesses everywhere.

www.gov.uk is the home for Government services and information online. One of the tools available is the 'Finance and Support Finder;' a searchable database of publicly-backed sources of finance and business support. The website:

www.greatbusiness.gov.uk

also provides support and advice for anyone trying to start or grow a business.

In addition to online support, the Business Support Helpline is available to provide a quick response on queries about starting a business, or a personalised and in-depth advice service for more complex needs.

North Yorkshire has benefitted from a number of support schemes. The Start-Up Loan Scheme has provided business advice and 629 loans with a value of £3.3 million to people starting a business. Since May 2010, 165 companies have benefitted from the Government’s Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme with a drawn down value of over £22 million.

Yes, indeed. We are already doing that, and I am discussing the matter with the Minister with responsibility for care. The problem with domiciliary care is that there is almost certainly an avoidance by companies to pay the minimum wage, and that overlaps with the problem of zero-hours contracts. We recognise that there are some very specific problems for workers in that sector.

I am afraid that my hon. Friend will have to be patient for a few weeks longer before we announce the local growth deal for the local enterprise partnership covering her constituency, but I am aware that that is one of the projects that the local enterprise partnership wants to prioritise.

I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

We have had no representations on illegal pump imports. The National Measurement Office (NMO) is the designated Market Surveillance Authority for the UK for products subject to regulations made under the Ecodesign for Energy—related Products Directive, including those for pumps. It takes an intelligence-led and risk-based approach to market surveillance; any evidence of illegal imports should be sent to the NMO:

https://www.gov.uk/placing-energy-related-products-on-the-uk-market

for follow-up and appropriate enforcement action.

One of the joys of the new pots of funding that are available for local enterprise partnerships is that LEPs can decide for themselves what their priorities are. I am aware, because I grew up in the region, that there are serious infrastructure bottlenecks, and I am sure that that will be high in its priorities.

My noble Friend, Lord de Mauley, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Natural Environment and Science and I co-chair the Agri-Tech Leadership Council, which last met in January 2014. Under this arrangement, our two Departments work closely on the implementation of the UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies.

The Flood Re scheme is there to help some of the hardest-to-insure areas, but most business insurance is already priced to risk, unlike household insurance, in which cross-subsidies apply. However, I will certainly look again at the point my hon. Friend has raised.