Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 26 November 2009
International Development
Afghanistan: Health Services
The majority of UK support for health in Afghanistan occurs through contributions to the Afghan Government’s budget. Since 2002, the Department for International Development (DFID) has contributed £360 million to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Fund (ARTF). The ARTF is managed by the World Bank and reimburses proven Government expenditure on operating costs including on health. DFID will provide a further £165 million to the ARTF to 2012-13 which will cover 14 per cent. of the Government’s recurrent costs in health.
Since 2003 DFID has also invested £32 million in the National Solidarity Programme (NSP), which funds small-scale projects selected by communities all across Afghanistan. The NSP has funded the construction of over 100 health projects nationwide.
Construction of individual health clinics in Helmand is undertaken by the UK-led Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), to which DFID contributes staff and funding. In the last six months, the PRT has constructed or refurbished four health centres in Helmand province. Last year, the Bost hospital in Lashkar Gah received approximately £800,000 for a new maternity clinic and college. This would not have been possible under the Taliban.
Afghanistan: Overseas Aid
The majority of the Department for International Development’s (DFID’s) support for health and education in Afghanistan is not through direct construction projects, but rather support to the Afghan Government budget. Since 2002 DFID has contributed £360 million to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Fund (ARTF) which is managed by the World Bank and reimburses proven Government expenditure on operating costs including in health and education. We will provide a further £165 million to the ARTF to 2012-13. This will cover 14 per cent. of the Government’s recurrent costs in health and education.
Since 2001 DFID has also contributed to a number of specific programmes involving the construction of health clinics, schools and drinking wells. Between 2006 and 2009, DFID contributed £30 million to various construction projects in Helmand through the Helmand Agriculture and Rural Development Programme (HARDP). This included almost £4.4 million for the construction of wells and latrines.
Through the UK-led Provincial Reconstruction Team, the Bost hospital in Lashkar Gah received approximately £800,000 last year for a new maternity clinic and college that would not have been possible under the Taliban.
Since 2003, DFID has also contributed £32 million to the Government of Afghanistan’s National Solidarity Programme (NSP), which funds small-scale projects selected by communities all around Afghanistan.
Afghanistan: Roads
The majority of the Department for International Development's (DFID’s) funding for construction projects in Afghanistan is through support to the Afghan Government’s budget. Since 2003, DFID has contributed £32 million to the National Solidarity Programme (NSP). This funds small-scale projects selected by communities all around Afghanistan, and has funded the construction of almost 12,000 ‘transport’ projects.
Since 2001 DFID has also funded the design, improvement or construction of almost 150 kilometres of roads in Helmand province. This includes:
59 kilometres of small road projects selected by local communities and funded through the Helmand Agriculture and Rural Development Programme (HARDP);
12.5 kilometres in various districts of Helmand as part of the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team's road building programme;
a 2.5 kilometre road providing access to the Gereshk power station, the rehabilitation of which DFID is financing;
the design of the 48 kilometre Lashkar Gah to Gereshk road.
Afghanistan: Schools
The majority of UK support for education in Afghanistan occurs through contributions to the Afghan Government budget. Since 2002, the Department for International Development (DFID) has contributed £360 million to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Fund (ARTF). The ARTF is managed by the World Bank and reimburses proven Government expenditure on operating costs including on education. We will provide a further £165 million to the ARTF to 2012-13 which will cover 14 per cent. of the Government’s recurrent costs in education.
Since 2003 DFID has also invested £32 million in the National Solidarity Programme (NSP). This funds small-scale projects selected by communities all across Afghanistan, including the construction of almost 6,000 education projects nationwide.
DFID funded the refurbishment of training infrastructure and a teacher training centre in Kandahar province in 2002. UK support to construct schools in Helmand is, however, normally undertaken by the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), to which DFID contributes staff and funding. In the last six months, the PRT has refurbished five schools in Helmand.
Departmental Disclosure of Information
No formal allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing have been made to the Department of International Development (DFID) by current staff since 6 June 2006.
Departmental Meetings
In its response to a report by the Public Administration Select Committee—‘Lobbying: Access and influence in Whitehall’, the Government agreed to publish online, on a quarterly basis, information about ministerial meetings with outside interest groups. Information for the period 1 October to 31 December 2009 will be published by Departments as soon as the information is ready.
Departmental Rail Travel
I last travelled by train in the course of official duties on 20 November 2009.
Departmental Recruitment
All external vacancies in the Department for International Development (DFID) are advertised in the National press and on our website and we use an e-resourcing system to help us to manage applications.
Since November 2008, a total of 63 posts have been advertised. 58 posts (92 per cent.) were advertised through our e-resourcing system (using online applications) and five posts (8 per cent.) were advertised inviting word applications by e-mail and hard copy.
There is an expectation that applicants will apply online however alternative application methods for all of our posts are considered on request.
Departmental Recycling
All waste paper used by the Department for International Development (DFID) is recycled. The amount of paper in tonnes which has been recycled over the last five years by DFID is set out in the table. This information was provided by our waste contractors, based partly on estimates derived from waste audits which measured the proportion of paper waste out of the total recycled waste.
Tonnes 2004-05 208.5 2005-06 146.4 2006-07 140.2 2007-08 126.4 2008-09 110.2
Departmental Training
Training is provided to Ministers and special advisers as part of their induction and continuing development in order to carry out their respective duties effectively under the ‘Ministerial Code’ and the ‘Code of Conduct for Special Advisers’. Details of training provided to Government Ministers by the National School of Government are publicly available and can be found at:
http://www.nationalschool.gov.uk/policy/MinisterialProgramme/Table.asp
Departmental Working Hours
The Department for International Development (DFID) provides a wide range of flexible working options.
Most staff work their contracted hours via the Flexible Working Hours Scheme. This offers flexibility on the hours worked and allows employees to work additional hours and convert them to leave, up to three days in every four-week period. Within this Flexible Working Hours Scheme, staff work alternative working patterns including reduced hours, compressed hours, job-sharing and term-time working. At July 2009, 144 Home Civil Servants worked part-time, equating to 8.6 per cent.
DFID’s policy is that unless there is a clear business reason all jobs are available on a job-share or flexible basis.
DFID does not have any responsibility for any executive agencies. Nor do we have any staff working in non-departmental public bodies.
Remittances
The World Bank is the leading source of reliable data on remittances. However, there is no information for the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Iraq. The available information for the years 2005-08 is as follows:
Percentage 2005 2006 2007 2008 Ethiopia 1.41 1.30 1.80 1.50 Ghana 0.90 0.80 0.80 0.80 Kenya 4.30 5.30 5.45 4.90 Malawi 0.03 0.04 0.03 0.00 Mozambique 0.90 1.10 1.25 1.20 Nigeria 2.96 2.90 6.66 4.70 Rwanda 0.90 0.80 1.86 1.20 Sierra Leone 0.16 2.40 9.44 7.70 Sudan 4.22 3.10 3.80 5.30 Tanzania 0.12 0.10 0.08 0.10 Uganda 4.60 8.70 7.23 3.40 Zambia 0.74 0.50 0.48 0.50 Bangladesh 7.20 8.80 9.55 11.40 India 2.60 2.80 3.09 4.20 Nepal 14.90 18.00 15.50 21.60 Pakistan 3.90 4.00 4.20 4.20 Cambodia 3.10 4.10 4.20 3.40 Vietnam 7.60 7.90 7.90 7.90 Yemen 7.60 6.70 6.08 5.30 Jamaica 16.00 18.50 19.30 14.50 Guyana 25.30 24.30 23.50 24.00
Total global remittances are estimated at $444 billion in 2008, of which $338 billion flowed to developing countries.
Remittances to Pakistan totalled $7.0 billion in 2008.
Remittances to Nigeria totalled $10.0 billion in 2008.
Data Source:
The World Bank
UNESCO: Prizes
The UK Delegation to UNESCO has received one e-mail expressing concern at the creation of this prize, from the Open Society Institute in November 2009.
The proposal to establish this prize was put forward by the Republic of Equatorial Guinea to UNESCO's Executive Board on 29 September 2008; and it was approved by the Executive Board on 17 October 2008. The UK was not a member of the Board and therefore took no part in the decision.
World Food Programme: Somalia
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has received $335 million so far in 2009 from various donors for its emergency food aid operations in Somalia, against stated requirements of $475 million. It expects by the end of 2009 to have delivered 304,000 metric tonnes of emergency food aid to 3.1 million Somalis.
WFP expects to appeal for $309 million to continue its emergency food aid and $40 million for its emergency nutrition operations in 2010. This will include Special Operations to improve the security of staff operating in Somalia, finance a humanitarian air support operation, and improve key port and road infrastructure to facilitate its food aid operations.
In 2008 the Department for International Development (DFID) provided $23.8 million to the WFP Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation for Somalia, which was spent by WFP from June 2008 to March 2009.
DFID contributed $102 million in 2009 to the cost of WFP's global operations, and plays an active role in the WFP Board in discussion of its programmes and policies.
Church Commissioners
Farm Land Management
The Church Commissioners seek the best possible total return from all their assets (not just farm holdings) within an acceptable level of risk and their ethical investment policy.
Church of England: Finance
The Commissioners do not collect individual dioceses’ parish share formulae. However, I will shortly place in the Library a document entitled “Parish Share Systems by Diocese” which summarises dioceses’ approach to the calculation and allocation of parish share. More detailed information would have to be obtained from each diocese.
Church membership is estimated as an average of electoral roll, average Sunday attendance and average weekly attendance numbers.
Parish share per church ‘member’ requested in each diocese was given in my answer of 15 October 2009, Official Report, columns 995-96W. Parish share and other income per church ‘member’ received in each diocese in 2007 (the latest year for which such figures are available), using figures from diocesan accounts, is shown in the table.
The Commissioners do not collect the other information requested by the hon. Gentleman.
£ Parish share Other income Total income Bath and Wells 291 206 497 Birmingham 299 280 579 Blackburn 263 168 431 Bradford 396 391 787 Bristol 387 178 564 Canterbury 338 85 423 Carlisle 302 228 530 Chelmsford 339 174 513 Chester 274 139 414 Chichester 266 160 426 Coventry 306 169 475 Derby 314 133 447 Durham 263 189 452 Ely 281 163 444 Exeter 304 199 503 Gloucester 265 175 440 Guildford 383 68 451 Hereford 271 118 388 Leicester 334 315 649 Lichfield 310 289 599 Lincoln 203 305 509 Liverpool 246 154 400 London 285 193 478 Manchester 264 244 507 Newcastle 276 181 458 Norwich 342 209 551 Oxford 330 131 461 Peterborough 323 886 1209 Portsmouth 286 155 442 Ripon and Leeds 371 211 582 Rochester 354 97 451 St. Albans 316 158 473 St. Edmunsbury and Ipswich 310 97 407 Salisbury 282 99 381 Sheffield 316 293 609 Sodor and Man 270 86 356 Southwark 380 185 566 Southwell and Nottingham 323 249 571 Truro 259 286 545 Wakefield 305 170 475 Winchester 316 74 390 Worcester 315 198 513 York 267 215 482 Total 304 192 496 1 Membership: One-third electoral roll, one-third average Sunday attendance, one-third average weekly attendance.
Electoral Commission Committee
Preferential Voting: Referendum
The Electoral Commission informs me that it has received no such request.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Common Land
It is the responsibility of an applicant under paragraph 4 of schedule 2 to the Commons Act 2006 to obtain and provide evidence supporting his or her application. Where relevant manorial documents are held by local record offices, they will generally be available to the public for inspection. Where they are held by private individuals, arrangements for inspection should be made with the custodian.
Public access is already generally available to similar documents where they are held by public bodies, under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. Under regulation 6 of the 2004 regulations, a person may request information to be made available in electronic form, and a public authority must comply unless the exceptions in regulation 6(1) apply. DEFRA has arranged for electronic copies of the decisions of the Commons Commissioners in England and Wales to be placed on the website of the Association of Commons Registration Officers at
www.acraew.org.uk
The use of large-scale maps is required for the purposes of an application under paragraph 4 of schedule 2 to the Commons Act 2006, in order to ensure accuracy in determining the boundary line of the land specified in the application. However, we accept that, where the application relates to the whole of a cancelled register unit, the representation of the cancelled unit on the register map could otherwise be suitable for the purpose of identification.
We are reviewing the pilot implementation of part 1 of the Commons Act 2006, and will consider what changes might be made to the regulations relating to applications under paragraph 4 of Schedule 2 to the Act when Part 1 is implemented nationally at a later date.
No assistance is available from DEFRA for the purposes of making an application to register waste land of a manor under paragraph 4 of Schedule 2 to the Commons Act 2006, regardless of whether the ownership is registered with the Land Registry.
The impact assessment for the pilot implementation of Part 1 of the Commons Act 2006 concluded that the completion of an application form by applicants would impose a very small administrative burden on applicants. In addition, the costs of giving notice of an application to prescribed persons would also generally be low. The impact assessment noted that DEFRA intended to gather further information about the burden on applicants, but to date no applications have been submitted under paragraph 4 of Schedule 2 to enable this to be done.
Departmental Cost Effectiveness
DEFRA and its delivery network are contributing to the Government's target of £35 billion VFM savings in CSR07. Overall progress towards the target will be reported in departmental autumn performance reports. Current savings include those arising under DEFRA's Workplace Support Initiative which will bring much of the DEFRA estate (which currently covers over 234 sites across the Department and its agencies) into a single facilities management contract. DEFRA will save £6 million per year in 2010-11 compared to the preceding year through economies of scale and increasing the flexibility of its facilities. Savings will rise to £11 million per year by 2013-14.
The Department's plans for delivering OEP savings over the next spending review are being developed to contribute to the Government's £9 billion target of OEP savings across the public sector.
Departmental Food
A second report on the proportion of domestically produced food used by Government Departments and also supplied to hospitals and prisons under contracts negotiated by NHS Supply Chain and HM Prison Service was published in November 2008, covering the year from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008. This report and the first one covering the previous year can be found at:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/policy/publicsectorfood/awareness.htm
The report gives details of the proportion of individual meat, fruit and vegetable categories purchased.
Although it is too early to show a trend, the report indicates that the amount of domestically produced food consumed by Government Departments in England is increasing. The proportion of domestically produced food procured by DEFRA has gone up from 79.5 per cent. in 2006-07 to 85 per cent. in 2007-08. We expect to publish a third report at the end of 2009.
Members: Correspondence
I replied to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on 17 August and have arranged for a copy of the response to be sent to him.
Origin Marking: Israel
[holding answer 23 November 2009]: We fully appreciate the strong opinions that people have about this issue. It is because of the sensitive and complex nature of this case that the Government are still carefully considering possible next steps.
Solicitor-General
Bribery Bill
The Bribery Bill will no longer require the consent of the Attorney-General or Solicitor-General before a prosecution for an offence under the Bill can be started, and instead will require the consent of the Director of the relevant prosecuting authority. The Bill does not alter the role of the Attorney-General in any other way.
Eddie Gilfoyle
The Merseyside Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) received the report of the review conducted by Merseyside police on 17 July 1995.
The relevant part of the report, together with the supporting material including the notes with the various officers, was served on the defence by way of a covering letter on 7 August 1995.
The appeal was heard on 11, 12 and 14 September 1995 and the judgment of the Court of Appeal was delivered on 20 October 1995.
Euthanasia: Prosecutions
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) published the interim policy for prosecutors in respect of cases of assisted suicide on 23 September 2009. At the same time the CPS launched a 12-week public consultation on it. Up to 20 November 2009, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had received approximately 700 pieces of correspondence in response.
Leader of the House
Parliamentary Questions: Written Answers
My right hon. and learned Friend the Leader of the House has today responded to the Procedure Committee report on written parliamentary questions which sets out how the Government plan to improve the quality and timeliness of written parliamentary questions.
Members: Correspondence
The hon. Member’s letter of 21 September 2009 was transferred to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority; which is part of the Ministry of Justice, for answer, on 5 October 2009.
I apologise for any confusion and delay caused.
Westminster Hall Sittings
There are practical obstacles to holding sittings in Westminster Hall in the first week of a new Parliament. A few days are needed to hold ballots for adjournment debates, for the necessary consultations over the business to be taken at Thursday afternoon sittings, and for the appointment of the Chairmen’s Panel.
I do not therefore believe that it would be feasible for sittings to take place in the first full week of the next Session.
Transport
A3: Hindhead
Expenditure to date at the end of October 2009 for the Hindhead Tunnel was £258.6 million.
The most recent estimate of the total cost for the project is £365.7 million.
Aircraft: Air Conditioning
Incidents of contaminated air events are reported to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) under the mandatory occurrences reporting scheme (MORS). The latest figures, by commercial aircraft type in the UK, for the first six months of this year are shown in the table.
Between 1 January 2009 and 30 June 2009, there were 38 reported contaminated air events. These figures are out of 553,266 airline flights—passenger and cargo operations—for the corresponding period:
Aircraft type Reportable occurrences involving contaminated air (January-June 2009) Boeing 757 8 Airbus A319 7 Airbus A320 6 Boeing 737 5 Various other aircraft types 12 Total 38
For ease of reference the figures for the last full year (2008) are also included. In 2008 there were 97 reported contaminated air events. These figures are out of 1.2 million airline flights—passenger and cargo operations—for the calendar year 2008.
Aircraft type Reportable occurrences involving contaminated air (2008) Boeing B757 38 Airbus A319 19 Boeing B737 10 Airbus A320 6 Boeing B747 5 Various other aircraft types 19 Total 97 Note: The British Aerospace BAe146 and Boeing B777 are now included in ‘various other aircraft types’ as the numbers of reported events were two and four respectively.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency uses automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems to identify offences relating to the use of unlicensed vehicles in contravention of Section 29 of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994. Evidence relied upon to pursue penalties for these offences is gathered using systems that have been type approved in line with Section 20 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988.
The Highways Agency uses data from ANPR cameras to help with the effective management of traffic on the strategic road network. The statutory basis for this is covered in the Highways Act 1980 and the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) uses a range of measures to maintain high levels of compliance with vehicle licensing requirements, including the use of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology. DVLA's compliance approach is kept under review by the Vehicle Excise Duty Collection and Enforcement Governance Board, which meets every quarter.
Data from the Highways Agency's ANPR cameras are scrambled at source into a non-unique code which can apply to more than one vehicle simultaneously. It is understood that this process renders the data as non-personal under the Data Protection Act 1998.
In addition, the Highways Agency operates a system of Information Asset Owners to ensure that data are held and used in accordance with current legislation, namely the Data Protection Act 1998 and in accordance with Cabinet Office data handling guidance issued in 2008.
Data gathered by ANPR cameras are stored at the Highways Agency National Traffic Control Centre (NTCC). The Highways Agency's Information Asset Owner (IAO) has ensured that the information is accredited to Information Security ISO27001 standards. In September 2009 Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) conducted a review of procedures at the NTCC and confirmed that standards still met the requirements of ISO27001.
Aviation
(2) how many internal flights there were in Great Britain in 2008; and what estimate he has made of the overall number of passengers who travelled on such flights.
In 2008 there were 255,000 passenger flights departing airports in Great Britain to fly to another airport in Great Britain. These flights carried 15.3 million passengers. This equates to an average of 60 passengers per flight, equivalent to 64 per cent. of estimated seat capacity.
Aviation: Fuels
The amount of aviation fuel uplifted in the UK in each year since 1997 is as follows:
Petroleum consumption (million tonnes) 1997 8.45 1998 9.28 1999 9.98 2000 10.86 2001 10.67 2002 10.57 2003 10.81 2004 11.69 2005 12.55 2006 12.69 2007 12.67 2008 12.17
Bus Services: Concessions
The Department for Transport does not provide guidance specifically on how to reduce expenditure on concessionary travel. Travel concession authorities (TCAs) are required by law to reimburse bus operators for carrying concessionary bus travellers, with the objective that the operators are left no better off and no worse off by taking part in concessionary travel schemes.
The Department provides guidance to local authorities and bus operators on how to calculate appropriate reimbursement, which sets out the Department’s preferred route for calculating reimbursement (via the use of the reimbursement analysis tool). However TCAs are free to use the methodology of their choice subject to ensuring consistency with the no better and no worse off objective.
The Government subsidise bus services in England through the Department for Transport’s bus service operators grant (BSOG) which is paid to operators of local bus services.
Since 1998, the Government have also provided rural bus subsidy grant which helps local authorities to support rural bus services in England.
The following table shows the amounts paid by Government in each year since 1997 through bus service operators grant and rural bus subsidy grant in England:
Bus service operators grant in England Rural bus subsidy grant 1997-98 187.3 — 1998-99 222.3 32.5 1999-2000 277.4 32.5 2000-01 301.3 32.5 2001-02 304.3 41.5 2002-03 317.2 47.5 2003-04 331.4 48.5 2004-05 347.5 51.0 2005-06 357.6 53.0 2006-07 367.5 54.3 2007-08 392.2 55.6 2008-09 423.2 57.0 2009-10 436.6 58.5 Total 4,265.9 564.4
Rural bus services are also supported by local authorities’ revenue support grant (RSG) funding. It is for local authorities to decide what bus services to support in their area according to local needs and priorities.
Cheadle Hulme Station: Finance
(2) what recent assessment his Department has made of the case for improvements to Cheadle Hulme railway station.
The new £50 million fund is intended for the 10 major (category B) interchange stations identified as requiring urgent improvement in the Station Champions' report. Cheadle Hulme is a medium staffed (category D) station and is therefore not included on this list.
A site survey was carried out on behalf of the Strategic Rail Authority in 2005, as part of the consultation strategy behind the Access for All Programme. This identified that Cheadle Hulme did not meet modern standards for accessibility in a number of respects, and recommended installation of a new footbridge and lifts to all platforms. We currently expect this work to take place during 2010-11.
Climate Change
The UK delegation will be led by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and his officials. There are no current plans for Ministers or officials from the Department for Transport (DfT) to attend. Officials from DfT are in constant contact with their counterparts at the Department of Energy and Climate Change and will stay in touch with them throughout the negotiations to coordinate the Department's contribution to the various negotiations that will be taking place at the Conference.
Cycling: Accidents
A table showing the number of reported personal injury road accidents involving pedal cyclists in each constituency in England in each of the last five years has been deposited in the Libraries of the House.
Disability Aids
The Department for Transport expects to take forward the review's principal recommendations in the form of a public consultation in 2010. The issues we propose to consult on include future fitness to drive, insurance, registration and the training requirements for Class 2 and Class 3 mobility vehicle users.
The Government's aim will continue to be to balance the mobility needs of scooter users with the safety needs of pedestrians and other road users.
Disability Aids: Accidents
There are no plans to commission an inquiry into to the number of deaths and serious injuries involving mobility vehicles. The Department for Transport is aware that the number of mobility scooters is on the increase and therefore it is procuring a survey to help assess the number of mobility scooter users and the extent to which their use may have injured people. Further, the Department is expecting to publish a public consultation on options for change.
The Government's aim will continue to be to balance the mobility needs of scooter users with the safety needs of pedestrians and other road users.
The information requested cannot be identified separately. Reported personal injury accidents involving mobility scooters are recorded as part of the ‘other motor vehicle’ category.
London Airports
The following table shows percentage of passengers transferring between domestic and international flights and between international flights at Heathrow and Gatwick in 2008.
Heathrow Gatwick Passengers (million) Percentage of total passengers Passengers (million) Percentage of total passengers Total passengers 66.6 — 33.4 — Of which: Transfer Domestic to International 2.7 4 1.1 3 International to International 18.1 27 1.2 4 International to Domestic 2.8 4 0.9 3 Total transfer passengers1 23.6 35 3.2 10 1 This includes domestic to domestic transfer passengers. Source: CAA Passenger Survey
The following table shows the percentage of journeys made to Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted and Luton airports that were made by train, bus/coach, tube, and other road vehicles in 2008.
Final mode Gatwick Heathrow Stansted Luton Rail (percentage) 30 10 26 19 Buses/coaches (percentage) 7 14 21 14 Tube (percentage) 0 16 0 0 Other road vehicles (percentage) 63 60 52 67 Terminating passengers2 (million) 30.1 43.0 20.4 9.7 1 These results are based on a departure survey only. The assumption, for weighting purposes, is that arriving and departing passengers share the same modal characteristics. 2 This includes passengers using other modes to/from airport. Source: CAA Passenger Survey
Motor Vehicles
The following table gives the estimated annual vehicle mileage for cars in England for from 1997 to 2008, based on data from the National Travel Survey:
Year2 Miles Unweighted sample size (vehicles) size (vehicles) 1996-98 9,450 8,356 1999-2001 9,270 9,026 2002 9,150 7,387 2003 9,200 7,872 2004 9,100 7,499 2005 8,950 8,212 2006 8,740 8,142 2007 8,850 7,983 2008 8,640 7,767 1 Four wheel cars only 2 Data were reported for three-year intervals as shown prior to the expansion of the National Travel Survey sample in 2002.
Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions
A fully comprehensive dataset of fuel efficiency data for new cars is only available for the UK and the EU from 2001 in accordance with EU Decision 1753/2000/EC. The EU Commission collects and reports average CO2 emission data for new cars sold across the EU by member state. Table 1 is taken from the latest EU Commission monitoring report and shows average fuel efficiency of new cars sold in the UK and other EU member states where data are available between 2001 and 2007 measured in grams of carbon dioxide per km (gCO2/km). Missing data reflect the expansion of the EU to 25 member states in 2004 and to 27 in 2007 (2007 data for Bulgaria are missing as none were submitted to the EU Commission). Data for 2008 are not yet available.
Member state 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Austria 165.6 164.4 163.8 161.9 162.1 163.7 162.9 Belgium 163.7 161.1 158.1 156.5 155.2 153.9 152.8 Cyprus n/a n/a n/a 173.4 173.0 170.1 170.3 Czech Republic n/a n/a n/a 154.0 155.3 154.2 154.2 Denmark 172.9 170.0 169.0 165.9 163.7 162.5 159.8 Estonia n/a n/a n/a 179.0 183.7 182.7 181.6 Finland 178.1 177.2 178.3 179.8 179.5 179.2 177.3 France 159.8 156.8 155.0 153.1 152.3 149.9 149.4 Germany 179.5 177.4 175.9 174.9 173.4 172.5 169.5 Greece 166.5 167.8 168.9 168.8 167.4 166.5 165.3 Hungary n/a n/a n/a 158.4 156.3 154.6 155.0 Ireland 166.6 164.3 166.7 167.6 166.8 166.3 161.6 Italy 158.3 156.6 152.9 150.0 149.5 149.2 146.5 Latvia n/a n/a n/a 192.4 187.2 183.1 183.5 Lithuania n/a n/a n/a 187.5 186.3 163.4 176.5 Luxembourg 177.0 173.8 173.5 169.7 168.6 168.2 165.8 Malta n/a n/a n/a 148.8 150.5 145.9 147.8 Netherlands 174.0 172.4 173.5 170.9 169.9 166.7 164.8 Poland n/a n/a n/a 154.1 155.2 155.9 153.7 Portugal n/a 154.0 149.9 147.1 144.9 145.0 144.2 Romania n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 154.8 Slovakia n/a n/a n/a n/a 157.4 152.0 152.7 Slovenia n/a n/a n/a 152.7 157.2 155.3 156.3 Spain 156.8 156.4 157.0 155.3 155.3 155.6 153.2 Sweden 200.2 198.2 198.5 197.2 193.8 188.6 181.4 UK 177.6 174.8 172.7 171.3 169.7 167.7 164.7 Source: EU Commission
It is not possible to produce figures for average CO2 emissions for all cars in the UK or other EU member states because of the relatively few years for which average fuel efficiency data have been collected.
Motor Vehicles: Fuel Oil
The Department for Transport does not have data on the average fuel efficiency of all cars sold in the UK. However, a fully comprehensive dataset of fuel efficiency data for new cars is available for the UK from 2001 in accordance with EU Decision 1753/2000/EC. Table 1 shows average fuel efficiency of new cars sold in the UK between 2001 and 2008 measured in grams of carbon dioxide per km (gCO2/km). These figures have been used to calculate the percentage change in fuel efficiency for each year.
Fuel efficiency (gCO2/km) Annual percentage change 2001 177.6 -1.9 2002 174.8 -1.6 2003 172.7 -1.2 2004 171.3 -0.8 2005 169.7 -0.9 2006 167.7 -1.2 2007 164.7 -1.8 2008 158.2 -4.0 Source: DVLA
Motorways: Road Signs and Markings
The Highways Agency takes a number of measures to ensure sign accuracy.
The majority of signs are automatic and set by sensors or other roadside infrastructure. As a result any message displayed is real-time and takes account of changing road conditions.
Beyond the automatic signs the remaining messages are set manually by operators in either a regional or the national control centre.
To ensure signs are set in a timely manner, performance indicators have been put in place to monitor how quickly a message is placed on a sign. The indicator requires operators in the regional centres to set or remove legends within two minutes of an incident being confirmed.
Further procedures and alarms mean that checks take place while an incident is running. Procedures in the national centre require operators to review incident “Events” every 45 minutes and alarms are tripped for every three-hour period that a variable message sign is not updated.
Steps are also taken to review sign accuracy. Each month, both the regional and national centres review incidents to assess the overall accuracy of their sign settings, and to identify any opportunities to make improvements.
Pedestrian Crossings
Current advice from this Department is contained in Local Transport Note (LTN) 1/95, The Assessment of Pedestrian Crossings and Local Transport Note 2/95, the Design of Pedestrian Crossings.
The documents can be made available in the Library of the House and are on the internet at the following address:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tpm/ltnotes/ssessment ofpedestriancro4033.pdf
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tpm/ltnotes/esignof pedestriancrossin4034.pdf
Railway Stations: Finance
The £50 million announced on 17 November to tackle improvements at the 10 major interchange stations identified for improvement in the Station Champions' report is in addition to the existing £150 million for station improvements under the National Stations Improvement Programme.
Railways: Accidents
The Lord Chief Justice continues to work to identify a suitable judge for appointment by the Hertfordshire coroner to act as his Assistant Deputy Coroner and conduct the Potters Bar inquests. The timing of the inquests is a matter for the Coroner, or the Assistant Deputy Coroner, once appointed.
Road Signs and Markings
The Highways Agency has spent £5,000 on advertising the purpose of driver location signs. This has included the production of leaflets and information on its website.
The Highways Agency regularly engages with its customers to determine if more can be done to improve their awareness of new projects and initiatives. A recent customer report has highlighted the lack of public awareness of the signs and the Highways Agency is currently considering a range of options to correct this.
Research carried out on trial sections of routes equipped with driver location signs showed that response times of emergency service organisations were 10 per cent. quicker than previous responses to similar incidents. Getting the emergency services to the scene of an incident more efficiently ultimately leads to incidents being cleared more quickly.
Roads: Stonehenge
English Heritage has recently submitted to Wiltshire county council a planning application for its new Stonehenge Environmental Improvements Project which includes proposals to relocate the visitor centre and to close the A344 local road which currently runs immediately adjacent to the stone circle. The proposals will bring significant environmental benefits and the Highways Agency is working closely with English Heritage to secure the closure of the junction between the A344 and the A303 trunk road to the south east of the stones. Beyond the junction itself, the closure of the A344 is a matter for Wiltshire county council as the local highway authority.
Rolling Stock
The Department for Transport's analysis suggests that the costs of the bi-mode train, and the electric train followed by diesel loco-haulage, are around the same. The advantages of the bi-mode option are that it will not result in delay to passengers as a locomotive is being attached, that it will provide a more reliable service and that it does not require potentially expensive and disruptive infrastructure work at stations to facilitate the attaching of a locomotive.
Uni-directional seats (those not located around a bay-table) on the new Super Express Trains will have approximately (a) 750mm knee-room in standard class and (b) 915mm knee-room in first class. Similar seats on current Mark 4 carriages on the East Coast Main Line have approximately (a) 700mm knee-room in standard class and (b) 1010mm knee-room in first class.
Shipping: Pollution
The National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations (NCP) has traditionally been updated approximately every five years, to take account of lessons learned from marine pollution incidents and exercises that have arisen since the last edition.
The next revision exercise is scheduled to commence in late 2010 and will also include amendments to reflect machinery of government changes.
Shipping: Safety
The 14th meeting of the sub-committee on Dangerous Goods, Solid Cargoes and Containers (DSC) considered a range of issues relating to container safety. Of particular note were the decisions reached on harmonized interpretations of the International Convention on Safe Containers (CSC) and on a series of amendments to the guidance associated with the convention. It was also agreed to establish a correspondence group to consider further criteria to identify defects in containers before they represent a safety hazard.
The decisions taken by the DSC are subject to endorsement at the 87th Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) in May 2010. The Government plan to support the outcome of DSC at the MSC and push for their adoption internationally.
Stockport Station: Finance
We are expecting money to be spent in Control Period 4 (up to 2014) on the 10 major interchange stations, including Stockport, which have been identified for priority improvement by the Station Champions. We anticipate a rolling programme of improvements including third party funding from industry stakeholders and local government which may be more forthcoming as we emerge from recession.
Network Rail will take the lead in deciding the proportion of the new £50 million fund that will be spent on Stockport station, although the Department for Transport will need to approve the plans, which will be subject to a satisfactory business case and the prospect of an adequate financial return. We will also challenge the industry and local government to raise part of the money required for each of the stations themselves.
Work and Pensions
Poverty: Children
The vast majority of data contained in Opportunity for All is in the public domain and Secretary of State is currently considering whether there is value in publishing this report given the range of other documents covering similar issues.
Data on children in low income households and in families in low income and material deprivation are published in the Households Below Average Income report, which is available on the Department for Work and Pensions' website.
Olympics
Olympic Games 2012: Contracts
To date, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has awarded contracts to 1,081 suppliers, of these all but 17 are businesses registered in the UK.
Earlier this month, the ODA published a map showing that many suppliers from across the UK were winning work both directly with the ODA and within its supply chain. Details are available in business section of the London 2012 website:
http://www.london2012.com/get-involved/business-network/index.php
Culture, Media and Sport
Arts Council of England
This is a matter for Arts Council England, which operates independently of Government.
I have therefore asked Arts Council England’s chief executive to consider the question raised by my hon. Friend and to write to him direct.
Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Coastal Areas: Finance
The Sea Change Programme, which has allocated £38 million to 32 resorts, has only been in place since 1 April 2008. The parliamentary constituencies which received funding in 2008-09 (Wave 1 of the programme), and the value of each grant are set out in the following table:
Parliamentary constituency Value of grant (£) Blackpool South 4,000,000 Dover 3,850,000 Torbay 1,542,531 Totnes 705,001 Berwick-upon-Tweed 1,000,000 Bexhill and Battle 1,000,000 Weston-Super-Mare 951,447 Bognor Regis and Littlehampton 480,800 Bournemouth East 455,000 Teignbridge 376,676 Torridge and West Devon 1100,000 Blackpool North and Fleetwood 230,000 North Thanet 230,000 North Devon 230,000 Beverley and Holderness 230,000 Tynemouth 229,525 Total 14,610,980 1 Development Grant 2 Feasibility Grant
Departmental Conferences
My Department spent £133,398.30 on holding conferences in 2008-09. This figure includes running costs, room hire, hospitality and accommodation charges.
Departmental Meetings
In the week commencing 9 November, I met members of the International Press Institute; David Davies, the chair of the Listed Events Review; diplomats at the German embassy and young artists at the unveiling of an art work to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall; members of the House of Lords Communications Committee at a formal hearing of the Committee; representatives of the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and Britain’s architectural community at a reception at 10 Downing Street; and organisers of the London Jazz Festival at a parliamentary reception.
Departmental Statistics
As a matter of course, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport publishes all of its datasets which meet the definition of ‘official statistics’ set out in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. The statistics are published in accordance with the requirements set out in the ‘Code of Practice for Official Statistics’ and the ‘National Statistician's Guidance on the Presentation and Publication of Official Statistics’.
Gaming Machines
The requirement for licensed gambling operators to put into effect procedures for self-exclusion was introduced in September 2007 by the Gambling Commission. Figures on self-exclusion were published for the first time in the Commission's Industry Statistics for 2008-09. These are available at
www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk
and can be seen in the following table.
Prior to the Gambling Act 2005 coming into force, self-exclusion arrangements were put in place on a voluntary basis by gambling operators and no central data were collected on their use.
Number of exclusions recorded by operators1 Adult gaming centres Family entertainment centres Self-exclusions 2,254 201 Known breaches of self-exclusion 132 9 Number of individuals who cancelled their self-exclusion after minimum exclusion period 513 67 1 The numbers of people who have self-excluded and the numbers of people who have cancelled their self-exclusion may be lower than these figures as individuals may have self-excluded from more than one venue and thus been counted more than once. The number of breaches represents the numbers of separate incidents, rather than the number of individuals.
Prior to September 2007, the Gaming Board for Great Britain issued certificates to those who sold and maintained gaming machines. Local authorities issued permits for arcades, family entertainment centres and other premises that had amusement with prizes (AWP) machines; and magistrates issued permits for clubs, pubs and other premises with alcohol licence permitting consumption on the premises. The Gaming Board did not formally collect statistical data about the number of machines. In 2003, using industry data, it estimated that there were 255,000 gaming machines lawfully in operation in Great Britain.
Since 1 September 2007, under the Gambling Act the provision of gaming machines has been regulated by the Gambling Commission. The table, using figures supplied by the British Amusement Catering Trade Association (BACTA), shows the approximate number of each categorised machine and their typical locations for each year since March 2008.
Category Typical location1 Approximate2 number of machines at March 2008 Approximate2 number of machines at March 2009 A Regional casino only 0 0 B1 Casino 2,000 2,500 B2 Betting shop 27,000 27,500 B3 Bingo halls and Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs) 12,000 11,800 B4 Registered clubs 17,000 15,000 C Pubs, AGCs and Family Entertainment Centres (FECs) 131,000 121,000 D AGCs and FECs 72,000 71,000 1 A full list of permitted locations is available on the Gambling Commission’s website (http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/) 2 Numbers are the British Amusement Catering Trade Association’s estimates
Horserace Totalisator Board
So far, the external parties with whom I have discussed the proposed sale of the Tote have been Paul Roy and Nic Coward of Racing Enterprises Ltd., and the hon. Member for Shipley (Philip Davies).
Sport England: Finance
The figures in the following table are based upon information provided to Sport England by national governing bodies at the time their 2009-13 awards were made in December 2008.
For some NGBs (highlighted by asterisks) an exact Grow/Sustain/Excel breakdown was difficult to determine as their plans for the sport to grow and sustain participation, in particular, are hard to separate. In these cases, the figures are assumptions made by Sport England based on wider information contained in the Whole Sport Plans.
As a result of some amendments made to the final figures in contractual discussions between Sport England and the NGBs concerned, there are some minor discrepancies between the Grow/Sustain/Excel figures in the breakdown and the actual final awards made.
Sport Governing body Grow Sustain Excel Total Actual award figure Angling Angling Development Board 0 1,414,632 147,274 1,561,906 1,561,906 Archery* Grand National Archery Association 428,995 428,994 0 857,989 857,989 Athletics UK Athletics 4,304,463 11,256,229 4,886,477 20,447,169 20,447,169 Badminton Badminton England 4,280,592 11,217,488 5,301,923 20,800,003 20,800,000 Baseball and softball Baseball Softball UK 1,441,249 1,258,751 0 2,700,000 2,700,000 Basketball* England Basketball 4,100,000 4,100,000 0 8,200,000 8,200,000 Boccia* C P Sport 408,021 408,020 0 816,041 816,041 Bowls* English Indoor Bowling Association 378,375 378,375 0 756,750 756,750 Boxing Amateur Boxing Association 846,000 2,820,000 1,034,000 4,700,000 4,700,000 Canoeing British Canoe Union 1,785,640 3,484,627 3,200,310 8,470,577 8,470,577 Cricket England and Wales Cricket Board 7,571,420 23,233,082 7,198,856 38,003,357 38,003,357 Cycling British Cycling 5,680,000 11,704,354 6,903,654 23,244,840 23,244,832 Equestrian British Equestrian Federation 638,436 2,598,004 1,031,562 4,268,002 4,268,002 Fencing British Fencing Association 156,212 624,848 260,353 1,041,413 1,041,413 Football The Football Association 5,852,096 17,546,904 2,236,000 25,635,000 25,635,000 Goalball* British Blind Sport 177,000 177,000 0 354,000 354,000 Golf England Golf Partnership 1,737,475 7,890,375 3,297,880 12,925,730 12,851,500 Gymnastics British Gymnastics 1,964,786 6,248,822 3,174,873 11,388,481 11,388,481 Handball* England Handball 322,650 322,650 0 645,300 645,300 Hockey England Hockey 1,786,260 7,667,440 2,046,300 11,500,000 11,511,000 Judo British Judo Association 2,418,280 5,924,041 1,899,680 10,242,001 10,242,001 Lacrosse English Lacrosse Association 909,700 920,700 380,600 2,211,000 2,210,993 Modern pentathlon Pentathlon GB 32,750 287,789 391,282 711,821 886,496 Mountaineering British Mountaineering Council 227,500 822,350 238,000 1,287,850 1,287,850 Movement and dance Exercise Movement and Dance Partnership 260,568 480,984 0 741,552 741,552 Netball England Netball 4,172,855 6,906,070 6,579,191 17,658,116 17,658,116 Orienteering British Orienteering Federation 1,114,000 446,000 715,000 2,275,000 2,275,000 Rounders Rounders England 1,148,180 1,051,820 0 2,200,000 2,200,000 Rowing British Rowing 2,775,344 5,099,575 1,225,081 9,100,000 9,100,000 Rugby League Rugby Football League 5,748,237 15,593,986 8,066,119 29,408,341 29,408,341 Rugby Union Rugby Football Union 7,837,452 16,868,791 6,018,665 30,724,908 31,219,004 Sailing Royal Yachting Association 748,600 6,317,050 2,554,350 9,620,000 9,619,542 Shooting GB Target Shooting Federation 0 710,000 40,000 750,000 750,000 Snowsport Snowsport England 447,050 461,790 76,160 985,000 985,000 Squash England Squash 2,671,050 5,756,950 4,668,192 13,096,192 13,096,192 Swimming Amateur Swimming Association 5,186,570 8,305,378 7,378,346 20,870,294 20,875,000 Table tennis English Table Tennis Association 1,437,308 5,537,951 2,326,144 9,301,404 9,301,404 Taekwondo* To be confirmed 375,000 375,000 0 750,000 750,000 Tennis Lawn Tennis Association 6,359,909 15,457,080 4,983,011 26,800,000 26,800,000 Triathlon British Triathlon Federation 1,086,401 2,165,006 1,448,456 4,699,863 4,700,000 Volleyball Volleyball England 1,387,347 3,419,313 793,340 5,600,000 5,600,000 Waterskiing British Water Ski 102,824 206,049 642,500 951,373 951,373 Weightlifting* British Weight Lifters' Association 304,547 304,547 0 609,094 609,094 Wheelchair basketball GB Wheelchair Basketball Association 120,268 479,602 121,873 721,743 727,683 Wheelchair rugby* GB Wheelchair Rugby 240,000 240,000 0 480,000 480,000 Wrestling British Wrestling Association 112,060 144,176 75,588 331,824 331,824 91,083,470 219,062,595 91,341,041 401,487,103 402,102,952
Home Department
Animal Experiments
The re-use of rabbits in pyrogen tests is permitted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Consent for re-use of animals in procedures is generally conditional upon the animal having suffered no significant adverse effects as a consequence of the first use, and its not having been subjected to any intervention which compromises its suitability as a subject for the second or subsequent protocol. Authority to re-use any animal that has experienced significant adverse effects in its previous use is unlikely to be granted.
Home Office records show that four establishments licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 have completed statistical returns during the last three years reporting pyrogen tests on rabbits.
Ian Tomlinson
This is a matter for the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), and the hon. Member’s query has been passed to them for consideration.
Identity Cards
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, announced in a written ministerial statement on 30 June 2009, Official Report, column 11WS that the introduction of identity cards for all British citizens will be voluntary, including those issued to airside workers at Manchester and London City airports.
Since 20 October, up to and including 24 November, 1,107 eligible volunteers, from the Greater Manchester area, London and the two airports, have made an appointment to enrol for an identity card.
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, announced in a written ministerial statement on 30 June 2009, Official Report, column 11WS that the introduction of identity cards for all British citizens will be voluntary, including those issued to airside workers at Manchester and London City airports.
Since 20 October, up to and including 24 November, 1,107 eligible volunteers, from the Greater Manchester area, London and the two airports, have made an appointment to enrol for an identity card. The information held on the National Identity Register does not include the basis of an individual's eligibility to apply for an identity card.
Identity Cards: Greater Manchester
Up to and including 20 November, approximately 2,445 people from the Greater Manchester area have expressed an interest in continuing to be updated about the National Identity Service via the Early Interest Website.
Since 20 October, 749 people have made an appointment to enrol in Greater Manchester for an identity card.
From 30 November, in Greater Manchester, approximately 1.7 million people will be eligible to apply for an identity card.
Motorcycles
There is no specific power to split up groups of motorcyclists. The police and on certain roads Highways Agency traffic officers have a general power to direct a person driving or propelling any vehicle, including a motorcycle, to stop, proceed in, or keep to a particular line of traffic. It is an offence not to comply with such a direction. Exercise of the power to direct vehicles on particular occasions and in particular circumstances is an operational matter for the police and Highways Agency. It may be to reduce or prevent crime, to increase safety, or to regulate traffic.
Neither the Home Office nor the Association of Chief Police Officers has issued such guidance. Policing of roads is an operational matter for individual chief officers of police.
Opinion Polls
The Home Office does not publish hard copies of the opinion polling results to save expense but they are available electronically online. Results are regularly published on the Department's website and can be found at the following location:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/publications/our-service-to-you/
Similarly, the results for the UK Border Agency can be found at:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/public-attitudes-surveys/
Results for the Identity and Passport Service can be found at:
http://www.ips.gov.uk/cps/rde/xchg/ips_live/hs.xsl/22htm
The most recent sets of polling results are due to be published in the same locations before the end of the year.
Police Custody
The management of the police estate and the allocation of resources in the borough of Dacorum and Hemel Hempstead is a matter for the chief constable of Hertfordshire and Hertfordshire police authority, who are responsible for assessing local needs.
Scotland
Christmas
My Department does not plan to host any Christmas parties in 2009.
Departmental Cost Effectiveness
The Scotland Office is part of Ministry of Justice (MoJ). The MoJ’s contribution towards the Operational Efficiency Programme will be announced in the pre-Budget report.
Departmental Disclosure of Information
The Scotland Office has received no allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing since 6 June 2006.
Departmental Mobile Phones
Information is not available in the form requested. The total costs of Blackberrys and other mobile phones, including the cost of equipment, call charges and line rental, are set out in the following table.
Blackberrys Other mobile phones 2006-07 3,679.12 3,460.19 2007-08 2,073.78 3,983.52 2008-09 8,311.30 2,107.50
Departmental Pay
The Scotland Office has paid no bonuses or incentives to consultants or contractors.
Departmental Scientists
The Scotland Office has no scientific advisers or civil servants in scientific posts.
Departmental Taxis
The Scotland Office have one contract in place to provide private hire taxi services in Edinburgh. The costs in each of the last three years are shown in the following table:
Expenditure (£) 2006-07 4,692.76 2007-08 3,987.98 2008-09 4,234.10
Northern Ireland
Climate Change
No Ministers or officials from my Department will be attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in an official capacity.
Departmental Pay
The Northern Ireland Office, including its arms length bodies and the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland, has made no bonus or incentive payments to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors in each of the last three years.
No executive agencies of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) have made bonus or incentive payments to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors in each of the last three years.
The NIO does not hold this information for its non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). This is an operational matter for each of the NIO's executive NDPBs, who operate independently of Government. I would encourage the hon. Member to write to the respective Chief Executives. Details of the NIO's NDPBs can be found on page seven of the NIO 2009 Departmental Report at
http://www.nio.gov.uk/northern_ireland_office_ departmental_report_2009.pdf
Wales
Departmental Pay
In 2008-09, five staff in the Wales Office received end of year appraisal bonuses, to reward outstanding performance, representing 9 per cent. of the workforce. The total figure paid in bonuses was £6,000, a non-pensionable lump sum. Each of the five members of staff received £1,200, a fixed amount set by the Ministry of Justice.
Departmental Theft
Departmental Working Hours
The Wales Office employs a total of five staff on a flexible or part-time working contract, which makes up 8 per cent. of the total workforce.
The Wales Office encourages flexible working. In line with the MOJ flexible working policy, all Wales Office posts are open to applicants on a job share or reduced hours basis.
Treasury
Child Tax Credit
Estimates of the average number of recipient families and their entitlements to tax credits, by Government office region, local authority and parliamentary constituency, for each year between 2003-04 and 2007-08, are available in the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publications ‘Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Finalised Annual Awards. Geographical Analyses’, available at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
The same information for 2008-09 is not yet available as awards have not yet been finalised. However, estimates of the number of recipient families with tax credits, based on provisional awards, as at 1 April 2009, are available in the HMRC snapshot publication ‘Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Geographical analyses. April 2009’, available at the same web address.
Departmental Official Cars
No estimate has been made of the cost of providing official cares to Minsters and officials in the last 12 months. In 2008-09, £582,000 was spent on the provision of official cars for Ministers and officials in HM Treasury.
Departmental Recruitment
From November 2008 to October 2009, 4 per cent. of Treasury recruitment campaigns only accepted online applications. In these instances, a telephone support number and email address were provided to assist candidates who had difficulties accessing the online application system.
All other vacancies allowed candidates to submit application forms via email or hard copy.
Departmental Telephone Services
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 26 October 2009, Official Report, column 74W. HM Treasury has no plans to introduce an automatic callback facility.
Gurkhas: Pensions
[holding answer 23 November 2009]: I have been asked to reply.
There have been no recent estimates made of the cost of welfare benefits for those former members of the Brigade of Gurkhas and their dependants who have already settled in the UK or may choose to do so as a result of the discretions announced earlier this year. Nor has there been any estimate of the total cost of welfare benefits for those Gurkhas still serving who choose to settle in the UK when they leave the armed forces.
When the publication of the revised guidance was announced in April 2009, it was estimated, following cross-Government consultation, that the likely annual cost of allowing all former Gurkhas to settle in the UK would be £1.4 billion.
The cost of providing retired Gurkhas with Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) equivalent pension benefits for all pensionable service before 1 July 1997 has been estimated at £1.5 billion over 20 years.
Housing: Construction
(2) what plans he has to assist the house building industry in the next two years.
At Budget 2009, the Government announced a £600 million housing package to stimulate housing development and boost capacity in the house-building industry. On 29 June, the Government announced in Building Britain's Future that they are investing a further £1.5 billion over the next two years to build an extra 20,000 new energy efficient, good quality, social and affordable homes, and a further 10,000 additional homes for private sale.
Taken together, over £900 million will be allocated over the next two years via the Kickstart Housing Delivery Programme to unlock development on currently stalled housing sites. We expect an additional 22,000 new homes, of which up to 8,000 will be affordable, to be delivered with support from these programmes. £340 million in funding will also be made available to local authorities to deliver new social housing at higher energy efficiency standards, expected to deliver up to 3,900 new homes.
This is in addition to previous announcements in September 2008 of support to the house-building industry and first-time buyers, including the temporary stamp duty land tax holiday and the provision of £300 million in funding for HomeBuy Direct, and the Government's fiscal stimulus at pre-Budget report 2008.
Private Finance Initiative
The Treasury's Infrastructure Finance Unit has lent £120 million to the Greater Manchester Waste PFI; the largest contribution for this project came from the European Investment Bank who lent £182 million. Details of the Bank's other lending are available from its website
www.eib.org/projects/loans/regions/european-union/gb.htm
Private Rented Housing
(2) how many homeowners in each region are renting out a room in their property;
(3) what the tax revenue to the Exchequer from homeowners renting out a room in their property was in each of the last five years.
All taxes are kept under review, with any changes announced by the Chancellor as part of the Budget process.
Based on the Family Resources Survey, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimate that the average annual income obtained from renting out a room was £3,000 in 2007-08. Estimated numbers of homeowners renting out rooms by region are shown in the following table.
Government office region Number of homeowners North East 1,200 North West 5,600 Yorkshire and Humberside 4,500 East Midlands 4,200 West Midlands 6,100 East of England 11,600 London 40,200 South East 25,800 South West 20,300 Wales 3,700 Scotland 5,800 Northern Ireland 1,000 Total 130,000
HMRC’s administrative systems do not hold sufficiently detailed information to estimate the tax revenue attributable to renting out a room. Estimates of the cost of the rent-a-room income tax relief are provided in ‘Tax ready reckoner and tax reliefs’ published alongside the annual pre-Budget report and available on the Treasury’s website.