13. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent assessment he has made of progress on the development of a North-South high-speed rail link. (313723)

The Department for Transport is continuing its assessment of the detailed report from High Speed Two which was received at the end of last year. If the Government decide to pursue proposals for high speed rail, we will publish a White Paper setting out plans by the end of March 2010.

14. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the average change has been in the level of regulated rail fares since 1997. (313725)

Figures derived from the Office of Rail Regulation’s National Rail Trends show that, between January 1997 and January 2009, regulated fares rose by 5.1 per cent. in real terms. The figures for 2010 have not yet been published.

15. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what proposals he has to install further speed cameras on the motorway network. (313726)

Speed cameras are used on the motorway network to improve the safety of the travelling public and road workers.

The Highways Agency are planning to deliver 19 Managed and Controlled Motorway schemes by March 2015.

16. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent representations he has received on the expansion of Southend Airport. (313727)

Between late 2008 and January this year my Department received five representations on Southend airport from the Member for Southend, West and one from the Member for Rochford and Southend, East, as well as 13 letters and e-mails from members of the public.

17. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will discuss with East Midlands Trains the merits of reinstating non-stop passenger rail services between London St. Pancras and Kettering; and if he will make a statement. (313728)

The East Midlands timetable was designed to ensure that there is sufficient capacity for the increasing demand at Kettering and other stations on the route. Having long-distance services call at Kettering would increase the likelihood of there being insufficient seats for all passengers.

18. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what plans he has for the future of the rail franchise system. (313729)

“The Future of Rail Franchising”, which was published on 20 January, discusses potential changes to franchise competitions and contract design. Consultation papers for the Essex Thameside, East Coast and Greater Anglia were published on 21 January. Final decisions on these franchises will be taken before the invitations to tender are issued.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether any air pollution mitigation measures are planned as part of the A14 improvement work; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such measures. (311189)

No specific air pollution mitigation measures are planned as part of the A14 Ellington to Fen Ditton improvement as no exceedences of air quality limit values are predicted at any property in the assessment of the scheme. Overall, an improvement in air quality is expected.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent measures he has put in place to increase security at UK airports. (313724)

Following the incident on Christmas day, the Government have directed airports to increase the proportion of passengers' baggage tested for traces of explosives, and to introduce explosive trace detection equipment at all UK airports by the end of the year. We have also brought into force new restrictions which tighten up security screening for transit passengers. Alongside this we intend to introduce more body scanners, the first to be deployed at Heathrow.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what arrangements are in place for the advance registration of air passenger details for holders of duel citizenship who book flights and leave a country on the passport of that country and arrive in the UK using a UK passport. (313024)

Passengers' passport data are collected by airlines at or before the point of departure and transmitted to the UK Border Agency (UKBA) under the e-Borders programme. Discrepancies, such as different passport details, will be picked up by UKBA staff at the border and investigated as necessary.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what provision his Department plans to make as an alternative to full body scanners for passengers with pacemakers or other implanted electronic medical devices. (313420)

There are currently no plans to provide an alternative to body scanners for passengers with pacemakers or other implanted electronic medical devices. Our advice is that they are safe for passengers with such devices to use.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what funding his Department expects to provide in respect of the refurbishment of Dartford rail station. (313431)

Dartford station will be receiving £1 million under the National Stations Improvement Programme: a £150 million scheme to enhance around 150 medium sized stations up to 2014. It is anticipated that this will be supplemented by some £6 million third party funding.

The Department for Transport has also received an application from Dartford station for £6,000 towards a £12,000 Access for All scheme, although the outcome will not be announced until later this year.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 5 January 2010, Official Report, column 90W, on departmental buildings, what the addresses of the 13 properties which are beyond economic repair are; for how long each has been empty; how much his Department paid in empty property council tax in respect of such buildings in 2008-09; and what plans there are to sell such properties for redevelopment. (312050)

The Highways Agency uses statutory powers to acquire property in connection with the operation, construction and maintenance of the Trunk Road and Motorway network. The Agency receives Blight Notices under the Town and Country Planning Acts which provide protection for property owners who cannot sell their properties because of planned road improvement schemes. When these notices are accepted, they require the Agency to purchase property in advance of its operational requirements. These properties are held while the scheme is in the programme and the route is protected from development. In some cases this can be for a number of years.

Where possible, properties are let until they are required for operational purposes or can be sold and their management is contracted out to a private letting and management agent.

Properties which are not cost effective to repair, but which are repairable, are maintained in their present condition because a future sale may take place. These properties are described as being beyond economic repair. Derelict properties that present a safety risk or will have an enhanced value by having planning permission for rebuild/development may be demolished if it is cost effective to do so.

The 13 properties beyond economic repair being held by the Highways Agency are detailed in the table. This shows their addresses, how long they have been vacant, and how much council tax has been paid in respect of each property for the financial year 2008-09.

The road schemes that affected Woodview and Park Hill Lodge are now complete. These properties did not need to be demolished and are now at the beginning of the Agency’s disposal process. The other 11 properties are not available for sale.

The Agency obtains appropriate professional advice about valuation, method of sale and planning potential in respect of all its surplus properties. The Agency has not yet obtained that advice in respect of Woodview and Park Hill Lodge.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 5 January 2010, Official Report, column 90W, on departmental buildings, for what reasons there are 34 properties vacant in the disposal process. (312051)

To ensure best value for the taxpayer the Highways Agency sells properties that are surplus to operational requirements with vacant possession whenever possible.

One property has just been sold. The remaining 33 properties that are currently vacant and in the disposal process are:

in the process of being formally declared surplus by the Agency, this includes obtaining and acting on planning/valuation and sales advice;

being offered to former owners under the Crichel Down Rules;

being offered for sale on the open market;

under offer awaiting legal completion of the sale.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) associated non-departmental public bodies plan to sign up to the 10:10 campaign for cutting carbon usage in 2010; and if he will publish the (i) criteria and (ii) research upon which such a decision will be taken. (313433)

The Department for Transport is committed to delivering its share of the challenging targets which the Government have set for long term reductions in carbon usage on the Government Estate, but does not intend to sign up to the 10:10 campaign which is focussed on reductions this year.

The Department is involved in a number of initiatives and has several activities underway targeted at reducing carbon emissions.

Those activities include:

Carbon Reduction Commitment—due to start in April 2010;

The Carbon Trust Standard—attainment in the next financial year.

Carbon Budgets—the Department has worked closely with DECC, DEFRA and OGC to set the scope of transport emissions;

Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE) Framework—the Department continues to work with OGC, and DEFRA, looking to extend the SOGE travel targets to include commuter travel and freight supply emissions;

Low Carbon Vehicles—the Department is supporting the trial of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles and the Government Car and Despatch Agency will trial a plug-in hybrid later this year;

Biomass and Combined Heat & Power Plant—these technologies are being considered as part of boiler replacement programmes in the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency;

Motorway Lighting—the Highways Agency is running a number of pilots where motorway lighting is switched off during certain off-peak, low usage periods.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many (a) mobile telephones and (b) BlackBerrys were provided to (i) Ministers and (ii) special advisers in each year since 2007-08; and at what cost to the public purse. (313170)

The details are as follows:

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much funding his Department has allocated for (a) year-end and (b) in-year bonuses for its staff in 2009-10. (307029)

An element of the Department for Transport’s overall pay award is allocated to non-consolidated variable pay related to performance. These payments are used to drive high performance and form part of the pay award for members of staff who demonstrate exceptional performance, for example by exceeding targets set or meeting challenging objectives.

Non-consolidated variable pay awards are funded from within existing pay bill controls, and have to be re-earned each year against pre-determined targets and, as such, do not add to future pay bill costs. The percentage of the pay bill set aside for performance-related awards for the SCS is based on recommendations from the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.

The wages and salary budget for 2009-10 is £546,266,100, of which non-consolidated performance payments represents an estimated range of 1.7 to 2 per cent.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department spent on (a) new furnishings, (b) works of art and (c) new vehicles in each of the last two years. (312522)

The information requested for the Department for Transport and its seven executive agencies is provided in the following table.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department (a) budgeted to spend and (b) spent from (i) the Total Annual Managed Expenditure budget and (ii) the Departmental Expenditure Limit budget for 2008-09. (312553)

The information requested is set out in the following table:

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department (a) budgeted to spend and (b) spent from (i) the Annually Managed Expenditure budget and (ii) the Departmental Expenditure Limit budget for 2009-10. (312555)

The information requested is set out in the following table:

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department (a) budgeted to spend and (b) spent from the Annually Managed Expenditure budget on (i) Departmental Strategic Objective (DSO) 1, (ii) DSO 2, (iii) DSO 3, (iv) DSO 4 and (v) DSO 5 for 2008-09. (312556)

The in year budget for 2008-09 was not set against departmental strategic objectives. The outturn is set out in the following table:

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department (a) budgeted to spend and (b) spent from the Departmental Expenditure Limit budget on (i) Departmental Strategic Objective (DSO) 1, (ii) DSO 2, (iii) DSO 3, (iv) DSO 4 and (v) DSO 5 for 2008-09. (312557)

The in year budget for 2008-09 is not set against departmental strategic objectives. The spend to date is set out in the following table:

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department (a) budgeted to spend and (b) spent to date from the Annually Managed Expenditure Budget on (i) Departmental Strategic Objective (DSO) 1, (ii) DSO 2, (iii) DSO 3, (iv) DSO 4 and (v) DSO 5 for 2009-10. (312558)

The in year budget is not set against Departmental Strategic Objectives. The spend to date is set out as follows:

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department (a) budgeted to spend and (b) has spent to date from the Departmental Expenditure Limit Budget on (i) Departmental Strategic Objective (DSO) 1, (ii) DSO 2, (iii) DSO 3, (iv) DSO 4 and (v) DSO 5 for 2009-10. (312559)

The in year budget is not set against Departmental Strategic Objectives. The spend to date is set out as follows:

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which organisation will undertake the consultation for the new East Coast Mainline timetable; when that consultation will start and end; and where consultation responses should be sent to. (313629)

Public consultation on proposals for a new East Coast Main Line timetable is being carried out by East Coast—the current operator of those services. I understand that consultation has already commenced and will run until the end of February. Details of the proposals and the address for responses are available on East Coast's website at:

http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when the tendering process for East Coast rail services is likely to begin; and whether an option to continue Kings Cross to Glasgow via Newcastle services will be included in the tender. (313697)

The Invitation to Tender for the new Intercity East Coast franchise will be issued in autumn 2010.

The Department for Transport is consulting stakeholders on the specification for the new ICEC franchise. The service specification will be based on the timetable implemented in May 2011, which as currently proposed does include one service each way between Glasgow and King’s Cross.

Under the proposed May 2011 timetable, most East Coast services to/from Scotland will operate to/from Edinburgh and Cross-country services between Penzance/Plymouth and Edinburgh will be extended to/from Glasgow, providing a two-hourly through service between Glasgow, Edinburgh, stations on the East Coast Main Line as far south as York, Leeds, Sheffield, the Midlands and south-west England.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the financial savings that would result from cancelling (a) the East Coast pilot fleet of the Inter-city Express Programme and (b) the Inter-city Express Programme East Coast depot. (314076)

The 'pilot fleet' or Pre-Series Trains concept no longer applies.

The Department for Transport has appraised costs of East Coast Main Line depot provision. It is not appropriate to comment further as confidential commercial negotiations with Agility Trains are ongoing.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much funding from the £30 million of the Green Bus Fund announced in December 2009 has been provided to each recipient bus company; and what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs (a) created and (b) safeguarded (i) directly and (ii) indirectly through this expenditure. (314078)

The following table shows the Green Bus Fund’s winning bidder organisations, the number of buses each organisation intends to purchase with fund grant and the amount of grant offered to each organisation, which includes both bus operators and local authorities, by the Department for Transport.

The Department estimates that around 1,000 jobs will be safeguarded in the bus manufacturing industries as a result of the Green Bus Fund investment. The Department does not have an estimate of the number of jobs which will be created by the fund.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which recent assessment he has made of the performance of Southeastern Railway in discharging its obligations under its franchise agreement. (312668)

The franchise agreement specifies performance standards in respect of:

The number of trains arriving at final destination within four minutes and 59 seconds of advertised time;

The number of delay minutes caused by Southeastern;

The number of train cancellations caused by Southeastern; and

Provision of specified train capacity.

Department for Transport officials review Southeastern's performance against the standards set out in the franchise agreement periodically. At the end of Rail Industry Period 9, Southeastern was performing within the target levels for each of these performance standards. The PPM Moving Annual Average figure of 91.1 per cent. for the end of the period was the best ever achieved on the Southeastern network. Officials are currently reviewing performance against Rail Industry Period 10, which was severely affected by the recent adverse weather.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) how many bids have been received to purchase the M25 tunnels and bridge crossings of the Thames; (314092)

The Department for Transport has not invited or received any expressions of interest or bids for the purchase of the Dartford Crossing.

As discussed in the Operational Efficiency Programme: Asset Portfolio published in December 2009, work to assess future capacity requirements and commercialisation options is ongoing.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what discussions he has had with (a) Essex county council and (b) Kent county council over the proposed sale of the M25 tunnels and bridge crossing of the Thames; if he will ensure that a proportion of the proceeds of any sale will be given to (a) Essex county council and the unitary authorities of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea and (b) Kent county council; and if he will make a statement. (314093)

At this early stage no formal discussions have been held with Essex county council and Kent county council on this specific issue.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that Network Rail maintains staffing levels adequate to maintain the railway system. (314083)

Staffing is an operational matter for Network Rail. Network Rail is required to deliver substantial efficiency savings for the operation, maintenance and renewal of the network over the next five years, set by the independent Office of Rail Regulation.

The independent Office of Rail Regulation has ultimate responsibility for assessing that Network Rail's activities do not put at risk the safety of passengers and the work force.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what research the Rail Safety and Standards Board is undertaking; and how much that research (a) has cost to date and (b) is estimated to cost in total on completion. (314077)

The strategic research programme was launched by the Department for Transport in September 2008. Details of the research being undertaken are published on the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) website at:

www.rssb.co.uk

The specific costs of research are a matter for the RSSB and the hon. Member should contact:

Len Porter

Chief Executive

Rail Safety and Standards Board

Block 2

Angel Square

1 Torrens Street

London

EC1V 1NY

The Minister announced that the cost to complete the strategic research programme is £15 million from spring 2009 and will run for five and a half years.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 21 January 2010, Official Report, column 35WS, on rail franchises, whether the consultation with key stakeholders in respect of the proposed rail franchise for InterCity East Coast will include (a) Peterborough City Council, (b) Opportunity Peterborough Urban Regeneration Company, (c) Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce, (d) Peterborough Environment City Trust and (e) Members of Parliament; and if he will make a statement. (314030)

The InterCity East Coast Franchise consultation document has been published on the Department for Transport’s website at:

www.dft.gov.uk

We welcome responses from all interested parties. Peterborough city council and Members of Parliament with constituencies in the InterCity East Coast franchise area are formal consultees and have been notified that the consultation is taking place, but it is also open to any other interested party to request a copy of the consultation document and respond to the consultation.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many rail franchises he expects to re-tender in each of the next four years. (314277)

Three new franchises are expected to start in 2011, two in 2012, one in 2013 and one in 2014.

This assumes that the operators of franchises containing break points meet the continuation review criteria related to performance in the cases where these reviews have not yet taken place.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the timetable is for the public consultation on the future of direct London Kings Cross to Glasgow via Newcastle rail services will be; and when he expects a final decision to be (a) made and (b) implemented. (313698)

Public consultation on proposals for a new East Coast Main Line timetable, including services between King’s Cross and Glasgow via Newcastle, is being carried out by East Coast—the current operator of those services. Consultation has already commenced and will run until the end of February. Details of the new timetable will be finalised during spring and summer 2010 for implementation in May 2011.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what discussions he has had with the Olympic Delivery Authority on the likely effects of any removal of the through East Coast Main Line rail service to Glasgow on the level of spectator access to Olympic football tournament matches at Hampden Park from the North East; and if he will make a statement. (313340)

As part of a recasting of the East Coast Main Line timetable there is a change to the rail services between Edinburgh and Glasgow currently provided by East Coast. The number of services will remain the same as at present; however, from May 2011 they will be provided by Arriva Cross County.

While Department for Transport Officials are in regular contact with the Olympic Delivery Authority about public transport for the games, there have been no detailed discussions about this specific service.

Transport planning for the games, both in terms of infrastructure and services, is the responsibility of the Olympic Delivery Authority.

They consider both the likely demand for all Olympic events and the travel patterns of spectators. Where they believe additional capacity is required the Olympic Delivery authority are in discussions with the train operating companies to provide enhanced services during the games.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the value for money of operating rail passenger services under public ownership; and if he will make a statement. (313112)

I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 7 January 2010, Official Report, column 501W.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the financial consequences arising from the introduction of main line station gating. (314280)

The financial consequences of station gating schemes will be dependent on the level of fare evasion on a particular route, the yield per passenger from that station, and effectiveness of other revenue protection measures.

Gating schemes can also help reduce crime and increase the attractiveness of the service by increasing the visible presence of staff at a station, further increasing revenue.

Recent gating schemes have shown significant revenue increases, even when considering the capital costs of installation and increased staff costs.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) how many vessels carrying (a) crude oil or refined products and (b) liquefied gas which berthed at UK ports in each of the last six months had berthed in Yemen en route to the UK; (313034)

According to statistics reported to the Department for Transport no oil or liquid gas was shipped direct to the UK from Yemen in 2008, the latest period for which statistics have been published. The Department does not hold statistics on whether ships carrying such cargo from other sources might have called in the Yemen.

Both transport and other security procedures are in place as appropriate for all vessels berthing at UK ports.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the level of greenhouse gas emissions of (a) passenger and (b) cargo aircraft using Southend Airport in the last 12 months; what representations he has received on this matter since January 2009; and if he will make a statement. (313150)

The Department for Transport's latest assessment of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from passenger and freight aircraft using the UK's main airports is published in Annex G of "UK Air Passenger Demand and CO₂ Forecasts 2009". This is available at:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/atf/co2forecasts09/

However airport-level assessments are only produced for the UK's 31 largest airports and therefore no assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from passenger and freight aircraft using Southend Airport is available. We have not received any representations on the issue since January 2009.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent representations he has received on aircraft noise at Southend Airport; what response he gave; and if he will make a statement. (313152)

No recent representations have been received. However in compliance with EU requirements, Southend airport —in common with other major airports—is preparing a noise action plan in consultation with local communities. The development of the action plans provides a key opportunity for local consultation on noise issues.

The airport is currently conducting a public consultation on the draft plan. This consultation closes on 9 February. The airport will then consider consultation responses before submitting a final draft plan to the Secretaries of State for Transport and for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for consideration for formal adoption.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what research his Department has commissioned on levels of noise pollution in the area surrounding Southend airport in the last three years. (313153)

No research relating to noise pollution and Southend airport has been commissioned by the Department for Transport in the last three years.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport for what reasons the Highways Agency has installed a speed camera on the A46 southbound near the Carholme roundabout at Lincoln; and what criteria were used to determine the location of such a camera. (313421)

The safety camera was installed in 1998 by Lincolnshire police following a number of accidents at the location. This was prior to the introduction of national guidance about the installation of safety cameras. The camera is now managed by the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership and its operation is reviewed at six monthly intervals.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent discussions officials in his Department have had with the Joint Committee on Mobility for Disabled People; and what steps his Department takes in order to meet its disability equality duty through its relationship with the Committee. (314062)

Department for Transport officials attended two of the regular meetings in December 2008 and June 2009 arranged by the Joint Committee on Mobility for Disabled People. The Chair of the Committee was also invited to, and attended, a meeting about enforcement of the Blue Badge scheme that was convened by the DFT in March 2009. Members of the Committee have been invited to a seminar on Blue Badge reform in June 2010.

The Department is meeting its disability equality duty by ensuring that disabled people are actively involved in and consulted on aspects of the Blue Badge reform programme. As well as the seminar that is being arranged for June 2010, members from some representative groups, for example, Mobilise, are participating in steering groups. Regular newsletters are issued to all stakeholders and officials continue to meet regularly with other representative groups, for example, the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, as well as with the Joint Committee on Mobility for Disable People.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dogs have been seized and put down in (a) Ashford constituency and (b) Kent in the last 12 months. (313522)

Figures relating to the numbers of dogs seized and put down are not held centrally. Such information may be held by Kent police and the various local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons his Department decided not to complete a sustainability appraisal prior to relocating offices in 2007-08. (310826)

The office move in 2007-08 saw DEFRA staff situated in 1a Page Street relocated to our principal offices at Nobel House and Ergon House. This move was facilitated by restructuring of the DEFRA business, including a reduction in staff numbers, and provided an opportunity to reduce property costs.

The Department did not complete a sustainability appraisal because it was satisfied that the reduction in the estate DEFRA occupied, together with better use of the space in the remaining offices would contribute positively over time to DEFRA's overall environmental performance.

DEFRA has now explicitly incorporated the sustainability appraisal into our criteria for location decisions, which also include business and financial considerations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in his Department received bonus payments in 2008-09; what proportion of the total work force they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid was; what the largest single payment was; and if he will make a statement. (300896)

An element of DEFRA's overall pay award is allocated to non-consolidated variable pay related to performance. These payments are used to drive high performance and form part of the pay award for members of staff who demonstrate exceptional performance, for example by exceeding targets set or meeting challenging objectives.

Non-consolidated variable pay awards are funded from within existing pay bill controls, and have to be re-earned each year against predetermined targets and, as such, do not add to future pay bill costs. The percentage of the pay bill set aside for performance-related awards for the SCS is based on recommendations from the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.

The following tables provide details of the number of staff who received non-consolidated performance pay, the proportion of the total work force they represented, the total amount paid on non-consolidated performance payments paid and the largest single payment in 2008-09, reflecting performance in the 2007-08 performance year.

Table 1 covers staff at Grade 6 and below in core-DEFRA and those executive agencies covered by the core-Department's terms and conditions, i.e. Animal Health, Veterinary Medicines Directorate and the Marine and Fisheries Agency.

Table 1 also includes senior civil servants in core DEFRA and its executive agencies (Animal Health, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Marine and Fisheries Agency, Rural Payments Agency, Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science and the Central Science Laboratory—which is now part of the Food and Environment Research Agency, which was created on 1 April 2009.)

Tables 2 to 5 cover staff at Grade 6 and below, employed in those executive agencies who operate delegated pay arrangements (Rural Payments Agency, Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science and the Central Science Laboratory—which is now part of the Food and Environment Research Agency, which was created on 1 April 2009).

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) average and (b) highest non-consolidated performance related payment for senior civil servants in his Department was in cash terms in each of the last five years. (303071)

An element of DEFRA's overall pay award is allocated to non-consolidated variable pay related to performance. These payments are used to drive high performance and form part of the pay award for members of staff who demonstrate exceptional performance, for example by exceeding targets set or meeting challenging objectives.

Non-consolidated variable pay awards are funded from within existing pay bill controls, and have to be re-earned each year against predetermined targets and, as such, do not add to future pay bill costs. The percentage of the pay bill set aside for performance-related awards for the SCS is based on recommendations from the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.

The following table details the average and the maximum payment for a non-consolidated variable pay award, to senior civil servants, awarded under the DEFRA standard pay and performance management process for the five most recent performance years for which the relevant payments have been published in the Department's accounts. The data cover senior civil servants in core-DEFRA and its executive agencies (Animal Health, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Marine and Fisheries Agency, Rural Payments Agency, Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science and the Food and Environment Research Agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been paid in bonuses to civil servants in his Department in each year since 2006. (306430)

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 27 January 2010, Official Report, columns 871-872W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) statutory instruments and (b) other regulations his Department has brought forward in the 2005 Parliament to meet obligations arising from EU law. (304176)

Central records of statutory instruments made under specific powers have only been maintained by the Statutory Instruments Registrar since 2001. There are no central records maintained of “other regulations”. Since that time my Department has made 445 statutory instruments to meet obligations arising from EU Law, under powers contained in the European Communities Act 1972

DEFRA has maintained internal statistics on statutory instruments for the years 2007, 2008 and 2009, but not “other regulations”, made in connection with obligations arising from EU law. These statistics do not distinguish between those made under the European Communities Act 1972 and other powers, or between those that implement EU Law and those otherwise connected with it (e.g. fees).

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria Natural England has put in place in order to enable landowners to be paid through the single payment scheme to permit the introduction of flood alleviation schemes. (312983)

There is no scope under the EU rules governing the single payment scheme for making payments for the introduction of flood alleviation schemes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the outcome was of the Government's application to the European Commission for a derogation from the nitrogen oxide limits around Heathrow Airport. (313720)

The UK Government, like most other EU member states, is working to develop its application to the European Commission to secure the additional time available to meet the limit values for nitrogen dioxide as provided for in the Directive on Ambient Air Quality (2008/50/EC). The application will need to set out, for those parts of the country not yet in compliance, including around Heathrow airport, how the limit values for nitrogen dioxide will be achieved by 2015.

The latest date for submitting applications to secure the additional time available under the Directive on Ambient Air Quality (2008/50/EC) is September 2011.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what meetings he (a) has had and (b) plans to have with Welsh Assembly Government Ministers on (i) the effects on employment in companies supplying the Bosch factory in Cardiff on the relocation of the factory outside of the UK and (ii) the effect of the possible closure of other Bosch factories in Wales. (313329)

I have had various discussions including with the First Minister and Unite and will continue to do so.

The Welsh Assembly Government are already working with Bosch to identify their Welsh suppliers and are offering support to those affected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many layers of management reporting from the most senior to the most junior there are in his Department; how many officials are employed in each such layer; and how much was spent on salaries and associated employment costs of staff at each such layer in the latest year for which information is available. (312830)

The Wales Office has six layers of management reporting from the most senior to the most junior.

Collective salaries for officials employed in each layer are not given, due to disproportionate costs.

However, salary ranges for each grade stipulated by the Ministry of Justice, of which the Wales Office is a part; and the senior civil service pay structure for the latest year—are provided as follows by way of estimate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2009, Official Report, columns 282-83W, on departmental pay, how many and what proportion of staff of his Department received (a) an annual performance bonus and (b) an in-year bonus in 2008-09; and who was responsible for awarding such bonuses. (313132)

In 2008-09:

(a) Five members comprising 9 per cent. of the total Wales Office staff total, each received an annual performance bonus. They were awarded by the Ministry of Justice in recognition of outstanding performance in compliance with the MOJ pay related performance system.

(b) Nil staff received in-year bonuses during that period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what average time his Department took to answer questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) named day questions in the last 12 months. (313650)

The information is as follows:

(a) Ordinary written questions: Total of 263 received, 242 answered within five sitting days (92 per cent.)

(b) Named day questions: Total of 38 received, 35 answered on the specified date (92 per cent.)

With effect from the current Session of Parliament, each Department will provide the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics on the time taken to answer written questions. This implements recommendation 24 of the third report from the Procedure Committee, Session 2008-09.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will take steps to ensure that the number of people attending the Parliament Choir concert on 17 March does not affect the ability of constituents and other members of the public to obtain access to the House for meetings with hon. Members; and if he will make a statement. (313919)

Access to the Palace of Westminster will be maintained throughout the Parliament Choir concert on 17 March 2010.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of Police Service of Northern Ireland police officers are Catholic. (313464)

As of 1 January 2010, the percentage of Catholic police officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland was 27.68 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of those who apply to join the Police Service of Northern Ireland as police officers are Catholic. (313465)

Since the inception of the PSNI there have been 15 recruitment campaigns. 37.33 per cent. of applicants for these competitions indicated their religious background as Catholic.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) Catholics and (b) non-Catholics were recruited as police officers by the Police Service of Northern Ireland in the most recent year for which figures are available. (313466)

During the course of the 2009 calendar year, 201 Catholics and 209 non-Catholics were recruited to the PSNI.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) empty and (b) occupied residential properties his Department owns; and what recent estimate he has made of the (i) potential annual rental and (ii) total book value of those (A) empty and (B) occupied residential properties. (313798)

The Scotland Office does not own any residential properties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what average time his Department took to answer questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day in the last 12 months. (313654)

Between January to December 2009 the Scotland Office:

(a) answered 61 per cent. of 274 ordinary written questions within five sitting days,

(b) answered 93 per cent. of 29 named day questions on the day specified.

With effect from the current Session of Parliament, each Department will provide the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics on the time taken to answer written questions. This implements recommendation 24 of the 3rd report from the Procedure Committee, Session 2008-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 13 January, Official Report, column 1039W, on Arts Council England: finance, whether the methodology used to calculate the annual efficiency savings Arts Council England expects to make as part of its reorganisation process was approved by Ministers. (314065)

Arts Council England contribute to the Department's value for money (VFM) programme, reported to Parliament in the DCMS autumn performance report and annual report. The methodology for the Government VFM programme is agreed by the Treasury and subject to review by the National Audit Office.

Arts Council England continually seek and deliver additional efficiency savings which are reported to the Department on a regular basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 13 January, Official Report, column 1038W, on Arts Council England, what recent representations he has received on the restructuring of Arts Council England since 1993. (314066)

Ministers and officials meet regularly with Arts Council England and other stakeholders. Issues such as organisational restructuring are often discussed in these meetings

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport for how many non-departmental public bodies his Department is responsible. (314251)

DCMS is responsible for 56 public bodies. These comprise: four public corporations, two public broadcasting authorities, one Executive agency, 47 non-departmental public bodies (36 Executive NDPBs, 10 advisory NDPBs and one tribunal NDPB), plus two unclassified bodies who receive Exchequer funding.

Information and statistical data on the DCMS bodies are contained in the DCMS Public Bodies Directory, which can be found on the DCMS website:

http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/2009DCMS PublicBodiesDirectory.pdf

Since publication UK Anti Doping (an Executive NDPB) has been created.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many premises had a 24 hour alcohol licence in each year since 2005. (313017)

My Department estimates the following number of premises licensed for the sale or supply of alcohol for 24 hours in their standard timings, in force on 31 March in each of the last three years in England and Wales (rounded to the nearest hundred):

On 31 March 2009, this made up 4 per cent. of all premises licences and club premises certificates authorised to sell alcohol. The possession of a 24-hour licence does not necessarily mean that the premises will choose to open for 24 hours.

Prior to the 2003 Act, hotels were authorised to sell alcohol to residents and their private guests only, outside of permitted licensing hours and were able to apply to keep this provision under 'grandfather rights'.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment his Department has made of the effect on local newspapers of local authority publications. (313892)

The Audit Commission published its report on 22 January and we are currently studying the findings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many members of staff of (a) Sport England, (b) UK Sport and (c) the Olympic Delivery Authority plan to attend the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in February 2010; and at what cost in each case. (312707)

Sport England advise that they will not be sending representatives to the Winter Olympics.

UK Sport advise that three members of their organisation will be attending the Winter Olympics, at a cost of £21,824.84.

The Olympic Delivery Authority advise that two members of staff will be attending the observer programme for the games. The cost for accommodation and travel totals £7,726.90.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the budget is for the PricewaterhouseCoopers evaluation of his Department's free swimming programmes; and when he expects the report to be published. (312802)

[holding answer 25 January 2010]: As set out in the HM Treasury guidance ‘The Green Book—Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government’, the ability to judge how effectively Government resources have been expended is essential to their strategic long-term management. We have therefore commissioned a full, robust and independent evaluation of the £140 million Free Swimming Programme. This includes a detailed online survey of swimmers and non-swimmers to supplement questions placed on the Active People Survey, as well as case studies of participating and non-participating local authorities. The cost of the PricewaterhouseCoopers contract for the evaluation of the Free Swimming Programme is £379,000, less than 0.3 per cent. of the total cost of the programme. The contract is managed by Sport England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

We expect two reports to be published—a ‘year one’ report in early summer 2010, and a final report in early summer 2011.

This analysis will provide useful information about the overall impact of the free swimming programme on swimming participation, as well as evidence about ‘what works’ in different contexts to drive increased swimming participation, enabling better targeting of future investment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to regulate the sale of event tickets by third parties. (313749)

In addition to existing legislation governing the sale of tickets for football matches, the Olympic games and Commonwealth Games, the Department issued a Consultation on Ticketing and Ticket Touting running from 19 February 2009 to 15 May 2009.

We intend to publish our conclusions shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what occasions the (a) Tourism Advisory Council, (b) inter-Ministerial Group on Tourism and (c) Tourism 2012 Ministerial Advisory Group have met since April 2009. (313020)

The Tourism Advisory Council was established in April 2009 and to date has met four times, on 30 April, 1 July, 19 October and 18 January 2010.

The inter-Ministerial Group on Tourism has met twice since April 2009, on 5 May and 17 November.

Since April 2009 the work of the Ministerial Advisory Group was absorbed into the Tourism Advisory Council to ensure a strong link between the work to address recessionary conditions and Tourism 2012.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent steps his Department has taken to promote tourism in Britain. (311298)

VisitBritain are responsible for marketing Britain overseas as a tourist destination, and VisitEngland are responsible for marketing England to British residents. Some of the recent initiatives that have been undertaken to attract tourists to Britain include the ‘Value for Money’ campaign for which VisitBritain and VisitEngland invested £6.5 million over the spring and summer 2009.

The overseas ‘Value for Money’ campaign involved an investment of £3.5 million and reached 18 markets in 21 languages and was undertaken in close co-operation with the airlines Easyjet and British Airways. VisitBritain’s office in the USA also launched a campaign with Virgin Atlantic to stimulate travel to the UK which involved an investment of US$1 million.

The domestic ‘Value for Money’ campaign involved an investment of £3million in VisitEngland’s ‘Enjoy Every Minute, Enjoy England’ campaign, which was designed to stimulate more day visits, short breaks and holidays in England. In the first nine months of 2009 visits by UK residents in England increased by 6 per cent.

In July 2009 England secured the Rugby League World Cup in 2013 and the Rugby Union World Cup in 2015. These sporting events will present many tourism opportunities, as will the recent announcement that there will be an additional Bank holiday during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012. British tourism will also benefit from the launch last July of a competition to find the nation’s first ‘City of Culture’. 14 bids are now being considered. Becoming Britain’s ‘City of Culture’ in 2013 will stimulate the city’s visitor economy.

2012 also provides a powerful opportunity to promote tourism and we are working to ensure that we use the 2012 games to maximise the economic benefits for the British tourism industry.

In addition, the overall level of public sector investment in tourism from local, regional and national sources is likely to exceed £2 billion in the current spending review period. The Government believe this public investment is a good and reasonable investment in support for the tourism and hospitality industry.

To ask the Solicitor-General how many staff in the Law Officers' Departments received bonus payments in each of the last five years for which information is available; what proportion of the total workforce they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid was; what the largest single payment was; and if she will make a statement. (300379)

Non-consolidated performance payments are an integral element of the reward package for staff. These payments are used to drive high performance and form part of the pay award for members of staff who demonstrate exceptional performance, for example by exceeding targets set or meeting challenging objectives. They have to be re-earned each year and do not add to future pay bill costs, e.g. pensions. A close and effective link between pay and performance and increased use of variable pay is a key element of the reward arrangements for the civil service and the senior civil service (SCS) in particular.

Reward arrangements, including the criteria for non-consolidated performance pay, below the SCS, are delegated to individual Departments and agencies. For the SCS, Departments and agencies are responsible for their own reward arrangements within a framework set by Cabinet Office. The percentage of the pay bill set aside for performance-related awards for the SCS is based on recommendations from the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.

Tables covering the specific information requested have been deposited in the Library of the House. These tables detail as far as we are able to ascertain from our records the number of people who were eligible for and received a non-consolidated variable pay award, the average and maximum payment for a non-consolidated variable pay award, by civil service band, and the total amount of non-consolidated variable pay awards paid in each of the five most recent performance years for which the relevant payments have been published in the Department's accounts.

To ask the Solicitor-General what average time the Law Officers' Departments took to answer questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day in the last 12 months. (313653)

Data on the average length of time taken to answer written parliamentary questions are not routinely recorded by my Office, and it is not possible to provide a reliable estimate based on existing records.

Measures are currently being put in place to begin recording more detailed information on parliamentary questions for the current and future parliamentary sessions.

To ask the Solicitor-General when she plans to answer question 300379, on departmental pay, tabled on 18 November 2009. (313138)

I have done so today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what equipment tests using animals were conducted by his Department in each of the last five years. (310652)

[holding answer 14 January 2010]: The MOD does not use animals as part of its equipment testing programme. The MOD conducts research involving the use of animals only where absolutely necessary and where there is currently no alternative. The research supports the welfare of the armed forces; it includes medical countermeasures, combat casualty care and environmental safety. All research involving the use of animals is subject to regular review and is carried out in strict accordance with the requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has for the development of new nuclear weapons at Aldermaston. (313385)

As the 2006 White Paper ‘The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent’ (Cm 6994) makes clear, the current warhead design is likely to last into the 2020s. Decisions on how and whether we may need to refurbish or replace this warhead are likely to be necessary in the next Parliament.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2010, Official Report, columns 17-18W, on radioactive materials: imports, from which countries of origin the uranium which was enriched to military grade at the gaseous diffusion plant at BNFL Capenhurst was obtained; and what materials have been enriched at that plant since 31 March 2002. (313540)

Our records indicate that all uranium used in the production of highly enriched uranium (HEU) for military purposes at the Capenhurst Gas Diffusion Plant was supplied prior to the 1960s and came mainly from the Congo. No HEU for military purposes has been produced at Capenhurst since 1962.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which departmental information technology projects have been outsourced to companies based overseas in the last three years; and what the monetary value was of each such contract. (313555)

Information on projects that have been outsourced is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Information on the MOD’s PFI commitments is published in our Annual Report and Accounts, copies of which are available on the MOD internet site:

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/AnnualReports/