I recently met Norwich and District Carers Forum to hear about the work that it is undertaking, together with GP surgeries in Norfolk, to help identify carers in the county. What recent steps have Ministers taken to help identify and support carers in Norwich and elsewhere?

I know that my hon. Friend has been looking into the matter for some years. What does he consider to be the initial priorities of the adjudicator, once that office is established?

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely effect of increasing landfill tax on levels of food waste sent to landfill; and if she will make a statement.

That is a very good point, and I thank the hon. Gentleman for making it, but given the sometimes huge price differential between online and offline accounts, I hope that Ministers can work with Ofgem and the suppliers to seek to narrow the gap.

In recent years, competition for new customers seems to have been increasingly focused on price comparison websites. That has meant that those who use such tools can find massive discounts for web-only accounts, while the majority, who do not, end up paying more. To improve competition, we need simpler tariffs. Over 70% of consumers tested in Ofgem's market research said that they would be more likely to switch if tariffs were made clearer. With a bewildering 400 or so tariffs available, only 44% of people in Ofgem's research were able to select the cheapest tariff, even under a simplified form of the current arrangements.

We also need tariffs to be structured in a way that encourages energy conservation. A system of rising block tariffs-which was mentioned earlier-where customers pay less for the initial blocks of consumption and a rising amount for subsequent blocks, would provide an additional financial motivation for households to consider energy conservation. Low energy users would be rewarded for their efforts. At present, intensive energy users pay proportionately less.

I recognise that there are concerns about the unintended impacts that such a system could have on households that necessarily consume high amounts of energy, such as those of people with long-term health conditions who need to keep their house at a higher temperature. Perhaps we could consider other forms of social tariffs for such households, and examine whether extra support could be made available for housing insulation improvements, possibly through the green deal and through energy company observation. I know that Professor Hills's fuel poverty review will consider tariff structures in its final report, and I hope that energy conservation will be seen as an important part of that work.

I also want to mention smart meters, which could play a massively important role for consumers. Every household should have one by the end of this decade. As well as encouraging more efficient energy use and allowing for more precise billing, these meters will provide consumers with billing information on what they are paying for, at the touch of a button. There is great potential for people to use that information to ensure that they are getting a good deal. For households to get the maximum benefit, consideration must be given to how best to inform, engage, and motivate consumers to use their meters to the best effect. The consumer engagement strategy, which I hope to see being developed and implemented during this year, will have a vital role to play in that regard.

Simplifying and reforming tariffs and improving transparency are all necessary short-term steps required to increase competition. There are a few encouraging signs of competition in what is, overall, a difficult market for consumers. Today's announcement by EDF of a reduction in its customers' gas bills in response to the falling cost of imported gas, following similar moves by smaller suppliers such as Ovo and the Co-op, will be welcomed by many of my constituents. Last year, however, rising costs were passed on to customers very quickly, and I now want to see-on behalf of all of my constituents-action being taken by the other big five energy suppliers to reduce their prices. Whether or not they do so will be an indicator of how competitive the market is for consumers. If suppliers do not reduce

prices, how many of their customers will go elsewhere? Promoting competition now is vital, and I welcome the emphasis that Ministers, working with Ofgem, have given to this issue.

Today's debate is important. The issues are not simple, but the public rightly expect Ministers to intervene, and I welcome the progress that has been made in recent months. We are heading in the right direction, and I urge Ministers to continue.

In October we saw the launch of the "Check, switch, insulate to save" campaign. There is a clear need to raise awareness of what people can do today to reduce their bills. Many people can go online, check around for better deals and switch suppliers or change to a cheaper tariff, but three in every five consumers say that, in fact, they have never switched supplier. There are perhaps a number of reasons why not, one of which is that there remains a digital divide, which means that the information is not as easily or quickly available to all. What is more, many of the best deals are for online-only web accounts. Many households could save around £100 immediately by simply moving to an online account, but this is little help to those who have not embraced the internet, which in many cases also includes poorer households. Those who are not online include more than half the UK's over-65 population.

Other households tend to avoid doing too much of their business online, because they have poor quality internet access where they live. I strongly welcome the Government's investment in better broadband for Norfolk. Better communication links will allow more people to search online for the cheapest services and, as a result, become more powerful consumers. However, even with 100% broadband coverage, many households will still not connect to the internet. It is therefore vital that every effort be made to ensure that support is available for offline consumers to ensure that everyone can access the cheapest tariffs, not just the internet-savvy. I welcome the work that citizens advice bureaux and Ofgem are doing to help.

Does the Prime Minister share my concern about the impact of pocket-money priced alcohol on the state of our nation's health and antisocial behaviour in our town centres, as well as about the damage it does to our community pubs?

I thank the Minister for his response and welcome the measures he is taking. Does he agree that in order effectively to deliver justice to victims of road accidents, we need sentencing powers that reasonably and consistently reflect the too often appalling consequences of driving offences?

What recent representations he has received on securing justice for victims of road accidents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency on (a) reducing the risk of theft of and (b) its procedures for safe disposal of defective blank V5C vehicle registration certificates.

I thank the Secretary of State for his response. I am concerned about the extent of savings that are offered to the internet savvy and subsidised by offline customers. Given the digital divide, with many of

the poorest households and older customers not having internet access, what action is he taking to ensure that everyone pays a reasonable price for their energy?

What recent discussions he has had with major energy companies on their pricing policies.

I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I congratulate the Select Committee on Transport on its report, which made numerous recommendations that many of us can support. I will speak briefly about the recommendations relating to better weather forecasting and the provision of improved warnings and travel information to drivers.

Achieving better medium and long-term forecasting would allow transport operators to plan better for problems ahead. We start in a good position. The Met Office is widely recognised as one of the best weather predictors in the world, providing accurate and reliable forecasts over various time scales. The Met Office relies increasingly on supercomputing to carry out its work. Developing capacity and capability is vital if it is to undertake more detailed forecasting in future.

The science is available now to predict weather better, but computing power is required to realise that science. In the past, meteorology applied to weather forecasting had the most cutting-edge computing power available. Today, that is no longer the case, but last winter showed us that it is still needed. Better computing power means that the science can be applied in ever higher degrees of resolution.

The investment required to ensure that the Met Office has adequate computing power is probably about £15 million a year. That is a little more than the hon. Member for Liverpool, Riverside (Mrs Ellman) suggested, but it is in the same ballpark. That investment would bring tangible benefits to the UK through improved short-range weather forecasts, long-term predictions and climate change projections.

The economic case for better forecasting is clear in relation to advance planning for extreme weather events affecting transport infrastructure, but other opportunities would arise from better flooding, snowstorm and high wind forecasting. The insurance industry, which has a strong presence in my constituency, also stands to benefit, given that two thirds of the world's insured losses are related to natural events. Getting information out early means that businesses and communities can plan their activities and, in extreme events, possibly save lives, too. For long-term planning, the improvements in climate modelling from improved computing power would help significantly to inform investment in and delivery of major transport infrastructure projects. The Met Office's public weather service at present is already worth more than £500 million to the economy. Increasing computing power would increase that even more. The sooner we

invest in improving the supercomputing capacity of the Met Office, the sooner the UK will see the social and economic benefits.

I also want to say a few words about how best to communicate the impact of weather on driving conditions. At present, the Met Office-issued warnings are to be interpreted by drivers based on The Highway Code, with advice provided through the media by the Highways Agency and police. Last winter, drivers were advised at the height of the extreme weather conditions not to use the roads unless they had to. However, the interpretation by drivers of this advice is not clear. Do people who hear this message ask themselves, "Do I need to use my car to make this journey?"-the answer to which is often yes-or do they ask themselves, "Will there be serious implications to not making this journey at all?", in which case the answer might be no?

It needs to be noted by Ministers that the Highways Agency research on driving behaviour in the winter before last shows that there had been little change in behaviour, despite the severity of the weather and the warnings issued. I strongly support the Committee's recommendation for research into travel messages and how they influence behaviour, or fail to. The nature of language used, consistency of message and clarity for the recipients are all vital. If we are to tell people not to travel unless necessary, they need to be clear about what circumstances are and are not necessary. Perhaps advice needs to be more direct-"Do not travel unless there is a medical need to do so." Perhaps different levels of alert could be devised, but let us support proper research into the issue so that we can know what makes a difference and what does not, rather than simply tweak existing practices that have not always delivered results.

Websites can also play an important role to help drivers plan their journeys. The Highways Agency's Traffic England website, for example, provides real-time information on any problems on the motorway and A-road network. We need to make sure that drivers are aware of such tools, but we also need to recognise that at times of high demand some websites simply cannot cope. There were reports on some days of extreme weather last winter that traffic information websites were going down. For those drivers who are already out on the roads, it is vital that every effort is made to ensure that there is access to real, in-time information about the conditions on particular routes, and that drivers are able to adjust their routes as necessary, including before joining, and therefore adding to, existing problems on roads.

The AA's survey of drivers has already been mentioned. It highlighted that drivers most wanted to be actively directed away from motorways if there were problems, and that they supported the use of the police to carry out that function. Roadside assistance could also be delivered through improved information and signage. I support efforts by the Highways Agency to develop the use of variable message signs and the expanded use of similar technologies across the road network where appropriate.

The ever-increasing availability and use of in-car technologies, such as sat-nav and smart phones, mean that new opportunities are available for providing real-time data specific to the interest of the individual driver following a specific route. Again, I think that the Highways Agency has an important role to play, working with

providers of data-based services, to ensure that the data that it provides are as complete and as usable as they can be. There is even a role for the agency to help develop data applications of its own where needed.

We need to get weather forecasting as good as it can be, and we need people who are both planning journeys and driving on our roads to have access to the most up to date and accurate information about the weather and the condition of particular routes, and a system of warnings that are proven to be effective in changing driver behaviour when the conditions require it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to tackle dangerous dogs.

I thank the Minister for his response and for the progress made by his Department. As he knows, Network Rail is responsible for spending billions of pounds of public money each year. Will he ensure that that organisation is brought within the scope of the Freedom of Information Act?

What plans he has to increase the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the government of Iran regarding the sentencing of Marzieh Vafamehr for her role in the film My Tehran for Sale; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance he has issued to Work programme providers on the use of 084 and 087 prefix telephone numbers.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Oldham West and Royton of 14 June 2011, Official Report, column 701W, how many capital expenditure programmes that have not used the private finance initiative have been undertaken by each Government Department since 1997; what the total monetary value was of such programmes; and if he will place a list of such programmes in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department holds on the number of applications for judicial review that were (a) received, (b) granted and (c) refused on matters relating to the awarding of public sector contracts in each of the last three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the impact assessment for the establishment of the Community Legal Advice Helpline as the sole gateway to civil legal aid services considered the cost implications to (a) service users and (b) welfare services providers of using 084 and 087 prefix telephone numbers.