To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action is being taken to reduce emissions from aviation. [28596]

We are pressing for the development of an open emissions trading system for international aviation through the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Assembly. However, we want to take advantage of the groundbreaking EU Emissions Trading Scheme and are therefore pressing for the inclusion of aviation into the EU ETS as a priority for our presidency.

The European Commission has adopted a Communication on reducing the climate change impact of aviation, favouring the inclusion of the climate impact of aviation into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). They aim to bring forward a legislative proposal by the end of 2006. Our aim is to reach a consensus on the way forward at the December Environment Council.

The Commission have set up an Aviation Working Group under the European Climate Change Programme to discuss the design criteria involved in such a scheme.

Emissions trading would give added weight to other emissions-reducing actions for which the Government will press, including:

improved working practices by airports, airlines and air traffic controllers;

research and development by aerospace manufacturers of new technologies; and

voluntary action by airlines, airports and aerospace companies to control greenhouse gas emissions and develop sustainability strategies. Such action should include emissions reporting and targets at a company level.

We recognise that these measures may not provide a total solution, therefore we continue to explore and discuss options for the use of other economic instruments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to co-ordinate Government work on climate change. [28533]

The Department is currently leading the review of the UK Climate Change Programme through interdepartmental work involving Officials from across Government. The review is being taken forward within the framework of the Sustainable Energy Policy Network (SEPN), set up following the publication of the Energy White Paper in 2003. SEPN meets regularly at official and ministerial level to discuss progress on a range of climate change and energy policy issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

(1) what steps she is taking to ensure that private finance initiative projects for which her Department is responsible create the minimum of environmental damage; [28092]

(2) what assessment her Department has made of (a) the sustainability and environmental impacts of private finance initiative (PFI) projects and (b) the effectiveness of the PFI process to deliver environmentally sustainable projects; [28116]

(3) what role her Department (a) has and (b) plans to take to make the private finance initiative process more accountable and transparent in terms of environmental sustainability. [28117]

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 25 May 2004, Official Report, column 1495W and 6 December 2004, Official Report, column 278W.

Since then, the business-led Sustainable Procurement Task Force has been established (in May 2005) to deliver a national action plan for Sustainable Procurement across the public sector by the end of April 2006.

The Task Force is chaired by Sir Neville Simms and will build on existing work to provide Government with further actions ensuring that sustainable development considerations are taken into account in public procurement (including PFIs/PPPs).

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average waiting time is for a Warm Front applicant for a central heating system from assessment to installation. [28391]

The average waiting time for the installation of a central heating system under Warm Front is between 3–6 months from date of assessment until date of installation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what factors are taken into account when determining an application for a replacement heating system through the Warm Front grant; and to what extent elderly people are prioritised if their central heating system fails. [28392]

Warm Front provides a range of specified insulation and heating measures to households in receipt of specified qualifying benefits. The measures recommended for installation will depend upon the circumstances of the household and measures already installed. The scheme does not provide additional heating, but, where central heating systems are broken down or are performing intermittently at the time of the assessment, they can be repaired. In cases where a repair is not economically viable, the system may be replaced.

Warm Front is not intended to be an emergency repair service. All who receive assistance from the scheme are considered vulnerable and the scheme works to provide measures promptly for all households.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the additional cost per passenger of (a) passenger insurance and (b) the £1 levy per flight proposed by the Civil Aviation Authority to meet the cost of insurance against airline bankruptcy for those airlines not covered by the Association of British Travel Agents. [28290]

The Civil Aviation Authority factored the cost of commercially available insurance into the analysis it carried out for the purposes of the advice it provided to Government, published in September 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many aircraft flying into UK airspace the National Air Traffic Control Service computer processes in an average (a) day, (b) month and (c) year. [28865]

This is an operational matter for National Air Traffic Services (NATS). I understand they are willing to assist and suggest the hon. Member directs his inquiries to the NATS chief executive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport

(1) what the time is of the (a) first and (b) last flights from Heathrow airport over-flying Molesey each day; [27511]

(2) what the volume of air traffic over-flying Molesey was in each of the last three years; [27512]

(3) how many (a) landings and (b) take-offs there were at Heathrow airport in each of the last three years; and how many aircraft were stacked above Molesey in each year. [27513]

These are operational matters for BAA. I understand they are willing to assist and suggest the hon. Member directs his inquiries to the BAA chief executive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many members of the British Transport Police are due to retire or step down in the next (a) 12 months, (b) five years and (c) 10 years. [26534]

The British Transport Police (BTP) have provided the following information:

The number of police officers who will have completed 30 years service and be 50-years-old, and will therefore be eligible for voluntary retirement during the periods indicated are:

The number of police officers who will reach the compulsory retirement age relevant to their rank during the periods indicated are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of recent regulatory change on insurance costs for classic aircraft. [27312]

Regulation (EC) No 785/2004 on insurance requirements for air carriers and aircraft operators, which came into effect on 1 May 2005, imposes minimum passenger and third party insurance requirements on all aircraft according to weight. During the process of adoption of the regulation in the European institutions, the Department for Transport submitted a partial regulatory impact assessment to the Commons European Scrutiny Committee, informing it that the regulation would impose a regulatory burden on aircraft operators. No further assessment of the effect of the regulation on the cost of insurance for aircraft operators has been made, but some heavy historic aircraft have had to increase their insurance levels in relation to third party liability. The insurance industry has recognised the problem and sought to make premia affordable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions the Civil Aviation Authority has (a) issued warnings to and (b) made findings against (i) pilots and (ii) flight crew in respect of breaches of the annual limit for duty hours for commercial aviation, in the last year for which figures are available. [27688]

UK airlines are required to have a flight and duty time limitation scheme approved by the Civil Aviation Authority and to take all reasonable steps to ensure that all members of their flight crew comply with the scheme. Such schemes have to include the statutory annual flight duty time limit imposed on individual members of flight crew. Flight time limitation schemes are designed to ensure that flight crew do not exceed annual duty time limits and breaches of the limits are few. The CAA does not keep a central record of breaches of duty time limits, but does audit operators records on a regular basis and, if required, ensures that changes to working patterns are instituted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the annual limit is for duty hours for commercial aviation (a) pilots and (b) flight crew under the EU Flight Time Limitations. [27899]

There is currently no EC legislation establishing detailed flight time limitations for the flight crew of commercial aircraft. However, draft legislation on airline operational standards under consideration by the EC includes flight and duty time limitations and rest requirements. This legislation will impose an annual limit on flight duty time of 900 hours (pilots and flight crew). In addition Council Directive 2000/79/EC, which implements an industry agreement on working time for mobile staff in civil aviation (pilots and flight crew), establishes a limit of 2,000 hours for total duty time and a limit of 900 hours for flight duty time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the buildings owned by his Department; and what the purpose is of each one. [25632]

The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House, but information on the Highways Agency motorway maintenance depots and associated buildings can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what methods of assessment of (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills are used as part of the recruitment process by employees of his Department. [23796]

As outlined in my answer of 27 October 2005, Official Report, column 503W, the Department for Transport operates competency based recruitment.

If written and or/numerical skills are required for a particular position candidates are required to provide evidence, in their application forms, of what they have achieved using these skills. They are then questioned more about this in interview. If appropriate for the post, a test may be used, which is conducted by a trained assessor.

Occasionally recruitment is by assessment centre, in which candidates undergo a number of work-type exercises, testing, among other skills, both writing and numeracy, as appropriate for the position.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many targets have been set in each year since 1997 by the Department; and which have been (a) met, (b) nearly met, (c) not met, (d) changed and (e) dropped in each year. [26756]

The Department for Transport was formed in May 2002 and the targets applicable at the time were the public service agreement (PSA) targets set in the 2000 Spending Review. A new set of PSA targets was agreed in subsequent Spending Reviews in 2002 and 2004.

Performance against all PSA targets is reported in the Department's Annual Report and Autumn Performance Report. These also show how targets have evolved between Spending Reviews. In addition, performance is reported on the Department's website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are taken to ensure that fuel efficiency labels produced in accordance with European Directive 1999/94/EC accurately reflect vehicle carbon dioxide emissions produced under normal road use. [29352]

European Directive 1999/94/EC requires car fuel consumption and carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) emissions information to be provided to consumers by means of labels and other media. The figures used are obtained by testing new vehicles to the ED fuel consumption/CO ₂ driving procedure on a chassis-dynamometer (rolling-road). This standardised procedure is aimed at providing prospective new car buyers with a simple comparison of the relative efficiency of new vehicles. By its very nature it cannot anticipate the fuel consumption and C0 ₂ emissions that will be achieved by any particular motorist under any conditions of use. Fuel consumption on the road is significantly affected by many factors, especially driving style, traffic and road conditions, load carried, terrain, and the use of heaters, air conditioning and lights. It is therefore impossible to provide a single fuel consumption and, hence, CO ₂ figure that is representative for all road users.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how the Department is implementing the recommendations of the Gershon Review; and what savings have been made as a result. [28077]

The Secretary of State has established an efficiency programme to implement the recommendations of the Gershon Review. The Department has published an efficiency technical note on its website which gives more detailed information on the programme. A revised version of the efficiency technical note will be published by the end of November 2005.

Progress was reported in Budget 2005 and in the departmental annual reports. Further progress will be reported in the autumn performance reports and at aggregate level in the pre-budget report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the amount of debt on the Humber Bridge was in each year since its opening; and what rate of interest was paid on the debt in each year. [24771]

The debt on the Humber Bridge since its opening and the rate of interest paid are as follows:

Debt (not including loans from Public Works and Loan Board (PWLB))

⁽¹⁾ The debt would have risen to £650 million by March 1997 without Government assistance (mainly the payment of grants of £40 million plus a year, paid under the Appropriation Acts, to cover un-met interest charges).

PWLB loans

On 1 July 1997 the Department signed a new loan agreement with the Humber Bridge board. This agreement was then subject to a parliamentary order under the Humber Bridge (Debts) Act 1996. This agreement and the Humber Bridge (Debts) Order 1998 (which came into force 19 August 1997) made the following provisions for the Humber Bridge debt:

The PWLB debt was to be paid off;

A new fixed consolidated loan interest rate of 7.75 per cent. would be applied;

Interest payments would be suspended on £240 million of the Secretary of State's debt of £359 million;

Suspended debt would be added back starting in the next financial year (in annual amounts starting at £11 million and rising by 4 per cent. per annum to reintegrate all the suspended debt);

The debt would be repaid within a maximum of 40 years;

A further £1.6 million of interest would be waived to allow for carriageway works.

Since that time, the following applies to the Humber Bridge debt:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the future of light rail. [27945]

I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 9 November 2005, Official Report, columns 510–11W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of light rail systems in (a) Manchester and (b) Birmingham in terms of (i) economic and (ii) environmental objectives. [28307]

Light rail systems in Birmingham and Manchester have been subject to monitoring and evaluation studies. These studies focused on the impact of the schemes on travel behaviour, particularly in terms of levels of car usage, and the local economy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which local authorities have set targets for the overall level of road traffic in their area as part of their full local transport plans in each year since the Road Traffic Reduction Act 1997 came into force; and what targets were set in each case. [26750]

Table 1¹ lists the local transport plan areas with targets for overall levels of traffic along with the targets as reported in the progress reports following the submission of the first full local transport plans in 2000. Many other plan areas set targets for levels of traffic for parts of their areas or for particular time periods (for example peak hours).

The Department requires all final second local transport plans (due for completion in March 2006) to include targets for the overall levels of road traffic. Some of the provisional second local transport plans (submitted in July 2005) have included indicative targets, although these will be superseded by those contained in the final versions of the plans.

Table 1: Area wide road traffic reduction targets in first full local transport plans (as highlighted in DfT review of early progress reports)

⁽²⁾ The information in table 1 is based on an internal review and may omit some targets, The costs of a further review of the plans to checks for omissions are disproportionately high.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent information he has received on pollution levels in residential areas near the M1 motorway in Twisley, Sheffield; what assessment he has made of the likely effect on pollution levels there of plans to widen the M1; and if he will commission independent research on this matter. [28925]

The Highways Agency has taken base level data on current pollution levels from Sheffield city council, from the agency's own monitoring and from information available from groups such as the Tinsley forum, who have been monitoring air quality in the Tinsley area since 1998.

Emissions' modelling being carried out by the agency in collaboration with Sheffield city council, the Transport Research Laboratory and the Department for Transport is currently programmed to complete in summer 2006. This will feed into the Environmental Assessment, which will form part of the Scheme Appraisal. This will give a better guide as to what effects on air quality the M1 widening would have.

Independent research on this matter is not felt necessary at this time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport

(1) if he will introduce proposals to construct a filter slip lane on the exit from the northbound carriageway of the M1 motorway at junction 21 to enable vehicles to reach the M69 without having to negotiate the traffic island; [28114]

(2) if he will take steps (a) to reduce congestion and (b) to ease access to and egress from the M1 motorway at junction 21. [28115]

A scheme to widen the M1 between junctions 21 and 30 was added to the Government's Targeted Programme of Improvements (TPI) in April 2004.

This scheme includes proposals to provide a free flow link between the M1 Southbound and M69 and the M69 to M1 northbound. This will significantly reduce traffic movements through junction 21 and a filter lane for the M1 to the M69 southbound movement is not considered necessary.

The Highways Agency plans to consult on this scheme in spring 2006 and invite comments on the published proposals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of funds in the current spending review period are allocated to (a) railways, (b) major transport projects in London, including rail projects, (c) light rail, (d) other public transport major improvement projects and (e) aviation. [27940]

DfT does not allocate funding on the basis of these particular categories, and so the information sought is not available in the form requested. However, a breakdown of budgets for Resource and Capital DEL by PSA objectives and spending areas is set out in Table A2 of the 2005 Annual Report (Cm 6527), a copy of which is in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many mobile phones were stolen on the rail network in the past (a) 12 months, (b) two years and (c) five years. [26535]

The number of crimes recorded by the British Transport police in which mobile phones were stolen on the rail network (excluding London underground) over the last five years is given in the table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance on good practice he has issued to (a) Highways Agency staff and (b) motorway police on closing lanes when members of the public have to repair a puncture on the driver's side of a vehicle; and if he will make a statement. [27645]

Highways Agency Traffic Officers are highly trained in many aspects of traffic management including closing lanes, if required, to allow drivers to deal with offside wheel changes.

The guidance given to Traffic Officers is comprehensive, and covers the provision of personal safety advice to drivers, including leaving the vehicle and standing in a safe place, not attempting even simple repairs and not standing between the vehicle and other traffic. Where the motorist is a member of a recovery organisation, the Traffic Officer will make contact with that organisation to arrange for them to come and change the wheel. If the motorist is not in a recovery organisation, Traffic Officers will call one out, and the motorist will be charged for the service.

For large goods vehicles and passenger carrying vehicles, the guidance covers the need to consider closing a lane. Traffic Officers are trained in implementing lane closures, and under the Traffic Management Act they have the power to direct traffic accordingly.

The Agency has issued no advice to the police on this matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fatalities have occurred due to motorists having stopped on motorway hard shoulders (a) through breakdown and (b) for other reasons in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [27644]

The information available about accidents on the hard shoulder is based on data from STATS19 Accident Reporting. The data in STATS19 does not have the necessary information to enable the statistics on the two requested categories to be identified.

The information that is available covers the number of motorists killed, either in or from vehicles stopped on the hard shoulder or in vehicles travelling along, entering, and leaving a motorway hard shoulder. This information is provided in section 1 of the following table.

The total number of motorists killed, including those in the main carriageway, as a result of any accidents involving vehicles on hard shoulders of motorways, is provided in the table, section 2.

Number of fatal casualties on motorways (M and A(M)), 2000 to 2004 on the Highways Agency 2006 Trunk Road Network

Source:

TRL (2005).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many 20ft equivalent units (TEUs) were (a) imported and (b) exported through the UK's 10 busiest ports in 2004–05; what percentage of each travelled to and from these ports by (i) rail and (ii) road; what the average distance of each TEU from the point of import to the TEU's final destination was; and what percentage of total TEU traffic through the UK's 10 busiest ports consisted of transshipment in 2004–05. [28083]

Estimates of container imports and exports through the UK's busiest ports in 2004, in terms of TEUs, are given in the following table.

Container traffic at UK ports 2004 (thousand TEUs)

The information given includes container transhipments. Transhipped container traffic, however, is not separately identified in the returns made by shipping lines and ports to the Department, and separate estimates are not available. Information about the percentage share of container traffic travelling to and from ports by rail and road is not available.

The average distances travelled by containers by road, from the port to the final destination, are given in the following table.

Estimated average distance travelled by container by road from port to final destination, 2004

⁽³⁾ Estimates based on a sample of less than 50 journeys.

Comparable information is not available for rail.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to announce his decision on the proposed train service changes along the Hastings to London Victoria line. [28216]

holding answer 14 November 2005

An announcement on the draft Brighton Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy will be made in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce a new strategic north-south rail link. [25431]

The Government have asked Sir Rod Eddington to look at, among other things, the feasibility of a new north-south high-speed link. He will report to the Secretary of State in 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the impact of increasing penalty fares on the railways to £20 earlier this year. [28076]

Revenue protection is the responsibility of each train operator. The increase in penalty fare has restored and slightly increased the real value of the penalty, which had remained unchanged at £10 since 1989. We expect this increase to help train operators reduce the amount of ticketless travel on their networks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding has been allocated for regional transport funding by each regional government office in each year since 1997–98; and how much is planned to be spent in each of the next three years, broken down by region. [28240]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given him today (UIN 27568).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the average number of days on which road gritting took place on motorways and trunk roads in each year since 2000. [29080]

The information is not available in the form requested for each year since 2000. However, with the introduction of a new monitoring system for the last winter season (2004–05), we are able to establish that road gritting took place on 58 days on average across the motorway and trunk road network. This is an average figure and there will be variations across the country.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which (a) vehicle and (b) vehicle type has had the lowest (i) death and (ii) injury rates among drivers and passengers in the UK since 1985. [27970]

For drivers, the lowest fatality rate by vehicle kilometres between 1985 and 2004 in Great Britain was among Bus and Coach drivers, with a rate of 0.03 per 100 million vehicle kilometres. The lowest equivalent injury (casualties killed or seriously injured) rates were among drivers of goods vehicles, with rates of 11.66 and 11.70 for Light and Heavy Goods vehicles respectively.

For all vehicle occupants (including drivers), the lowest fatality rate by vehicle kilometres between 1985 and 2004 in Great Britain was among Light Goods Vehicle occupants, with a rate of 0.20 per 100 million vehicle kilometres. The lowest equivalent injury rate was among occupants of Heavy Goods Vehicles, with a rate of 13.88. These rates do not take into account the different vehicle occupancy rates of different vehicles.

Comparable figures for Northern Ireland are not available.

Information on casualty rates by vehicle type is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many school crossing patrols there were in West Sussex in (a) 1997 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available. [29543]

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the revenue from fines resulting from speed camera convictions in Wiltshire in the latest year for which figures are available; and what sums were passed to (a) the Treasury and (b) the Wiltshire Speed Camera Partnership. [28432]

The latest published information, as shown on the Department's website—www.dft.gov.uk—is shown on the audit certificates for financial year 2003–04. For the Wiltshire Safety Camera Partnership area, revenue collected from fixed penalty fines for speeding and/or red light offences was £2,380,800. The Wiltshire Partnership reclaimed £1,259,124 to cover their allowable costs and the balance of £1,121,676 accrued to the Treasury.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the revenue from fines resulting from speed camera convictions in Staffordshire was in the last year for which figures are available; and what sums were passed to (a) the Treasury and (b) the Staffordshire Safety Camera Partnership as a result. [29371]

The latest published information, as shown on the Department's website—www.dft.gov.uk—is shown on the audit certificates for financial year 2003–04. For the Staffordshire Safety Camera Partnership area, revenue collected from fixed penalty fines for speeding and/or red light offences was £2,436,240. The Staffordshire Partnership reclaimed £1,950,862 to cover their allowable costs and the balance of £485,378 accrued to the Treasury.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many taxicard schemes operate in England; and how much central funding was allocated to such schemes for 2005–06. [28143]

The provision and funding of taxicard schemes is a matter for local authorities. We do not hold information centrally about such schemes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) drivers and (b) passengers have been killed or injured in (i) purpose-built and (ii) converted van type taxis since 1985. [27967]

The information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has commissioned on the impact on local residents' journey times of traffic calming measures to eliminate rat-runs, with particular reference to road closures. [26766]

As part of the Urban Safety Project, the Department for Transport commissioned research into the impact of area wide traffic calming schemes, some of which involved partial or total road closures; this included research into the effect on journey times. The results of this research are reported in TRRL Research Report 263 Urban Safety Project: 3. Overall evaluation of area wide schemes", published in 1990. This report concluded that, in general, increased delays had not been a major penalty in the schemes.

Decisions regarding the implementation of traffic calming measures are for local highway authorities, in consultation with local communities. Deliberations will usually involve a wide range of safety, environment, and traffic management considerations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether franchisees are supervised by the Office of Rail Regulation in relation to the number of carriages provided on peak time services. [28079]

Capacity on franchised passenger services is determined by the terms of the contract between the franchising authority and the train operator.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what records are maintained of US civil registered aircraft landing at UK airports. [28814]

I refer the right hon. and learned Member to the answer I have given to him today (UIN 28400).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what records are maintained of US civil registered planes landing at UK (a) public airports and (b) military airfields. [28400]

The Department for Transport maintains records of permits granted to US airlines engaged in civil commercial traffic at United Kingdom airports, where passengers or cargo are taken on board or discharged. Airports maintain records of aircraft movements for a variety of purposes such as charging, administering noise quotas or movements at night.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 1 November 2005, Official Report, column 981W, on civil service jobs, if he will break down the reduced civil service posts by (a) job title and (b) grade. [29006]

This information is not held centrally. Details of these reductions are a matter for individual departments.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated change in an average annual council tax bill is for the next taxation year. [26543]

I have been asked to reply.

The level of council tax in the coming financial year will depend on local authorities' spending decisions. The Government are committed to ensuring that local authorities can continue to improve services without imposing excessive increases in council tax. We will shortly be announcing the provisional local government finance settlement which will cover 2006–07 and 2007–08.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many excess winter deaths of people aged over 65 years there have been in (a) Ribble Valley, (b) Lancashire and (c) England in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [29041]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell to Mr. Nigel Evans, dated 16 November 2005

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many excess winter deaths of people aged over 65 years there have been in(a) Ribble Valley, (b) Lancashire and (c) England in each year since 1997. (29041)

Available figures on excess winter deaths (the excess number of deaths each winter compared to the average during other months of the year) for Ribble Valley local authority, Lancashire and England are included in the table below.

The latest available figures for England are for 2004–2005. These figures for 2004–2005 are provisional and are not available for areas smaller than Government Office Regions.

Excess winter deaths (EWD) for persons aged 65 years and over for Ribble Valley local authority, Lancashire, and England, 1997–98 to 2004–05⁽⁴⁾⁽⁵⁾

⁽⁴⁾ Excess winter deaths are defined by the Office for National Statistics as the difference between the number of deaths during the four winter months (December to March) and the average number of deaths during the preceding four months (August to November) and the following four months (April to July). Figures for 1997–98 to 2003–04 are rounded to the nearest 10.

⁽⁵⁾ The figures provided relate to the current county of Lancashire. This excludes the unitary authorities of Blackburn and Darwen, and Blackpool, created in 1998, which were part of the former county.

⁽⁶⁾ The excess winter deaths index is calculated as the excess number of winter deaths divided by the average number of non-winter deaths, expressed as a percentage.

⁽⁷⁾ Figures for 2004–05 are provisional and are rounded to the nearest 100.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's revenue receipts from international companies operating in the UK have been in each year since 1997; and what estimate he has made of the receipts from that source in each of the next three financial years. [27052]

The information requested is not available. The only figures available are from a recent ad hoc exercise that indicated that large foreign owned companies paid about £7 billion of UK corporation tax in their 2004 accounts—around a fifth of total liabilities of all companies.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Government have to increase local government finances. [26542]

I have been asked to reply.

The Spending Review 2004 settlement provides for continued investment in local authority services. This builds on the significant additional funding which we have been able to provide to councils since taking office—Government grant has increased by 33 per cent. in real terms since 1997. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will shortly be announcing the provisional local government finance settlement, which will cover 2006–07 and 2007–08.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer

(1) pursuant to Table 5.1 of the HM Treasury report of December 2004 long-term public finance report: an analysis of fiscal sustainability; what the projected cost of public service pensions for each decade is expected to be, based on the framework agreement announced on 18 October; [24875]

(2) if he will break down savings on public services pensions announced on 18 October 2005 by the periods (a) 2003–04, (b) 2013–14, (c) 2023–24, (d) 2033–34, (e) 2043–44 and (f) 2053–54; and how much of the savings he expects to arise from (i) future and (ii) current employees. [24876]

The pattern of projected future cash flows at 10-yearly intervals over the next 50 years and the allocation of savings between current and future employees will depend on the outcomes of scheme specific negotiations and it would be premature to say what they will be.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the tax credits MPs' hotline is able to make outgoing calls on request to contact constituents of hon. Members who are suffering problems with their tax credits. [22002]

The MPs' hotline to the Tax Credit Office is a discrete service designed to give hon. Members a direct and accessible link into the Department to discuss matters relating to their constituents' tax credits claims.

Although the hotline has in exceptional cases been able to contact claimants directly, the service is not set up to work in this way. Doing so would divert resources from other areas, degrading the service available to MPs and other claimants.

Individual claimants should call the tax credits helpline to discuss any concerns or queries they may have. Callers can ring the tax credits helpline seven days a week any time between 8 am and 8 pm, 362 days a year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer

(1) if he will make it his policy to exempt people with a disability from VAT charges on social care services they receive from private or not-for-profit organisations; and if he will make a statement; [28497]

(2) what recent representations he has received on zero-rating VAT charges on social care delivered by the private and not-for-profit sector; and if he will make a statement. [28499]

Welfare services for people with disabilities are already exempt from VAT when provided by local authorities, charities and state-regulated private welfare institutions and agencies. For the purposes of the exemption 'welfare services' includes all types of personal care, and also support and assistance with routine domestic tasks where the recipient of the service cannot perform the task safely or adequately, or without significant pain or discomfort.

This reflects the widest exemption available under our agreements with our European partners.

I am not aware of any representations having been received by the Treasury about VAT zero-rating of social care in the past year.

Under our agreements with our European partners, we are not able to extend our existing VAT zero rates or introduce any new ones.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2005, Official Report, column 103W, on Territorial Army (Kettering), what the locations are of the units listed. [29082]

The locations of Territorial Army units within a 35 mile radius of Kettering Town, can be found in the following table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date he published Joint Service Publication 751; if he will make this document available to Nicholas Blake QC for use in the Deepcut Review; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [26307]

The Joint Casualty and Compassionate Policy and Procedures (JSP 751) was published in March 2005. A copy will be made available to Nicholas Blake QC should he request one. Copies of Joint Service Publication 751 will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 November 2005, Official Report, column 1260W, on departmental spending, if he will itemise the works of art bought in 2004–05; and what the cost of each was. [28654]

The works of art purchased during 2004–05 were a set of four paintings by Zil Hoque—"Nimbus I, II, III, IV"—the set having a cost of £160,000, excluding VAT, and a set of four paintings by Louise Cattrell—"Eyrie, Aerial, Tempest and Keep"—this set having a cost of £72,000, excluding VAT.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information his Department collects on the use of illegal recreational drugs by service personnel; and how many disciplinary cases arising from drug misuse there were in each of the armed forces in each of the past five years. [26872]

holding answer 14 November 2005

Each of the Services maintains records of all disciplinary proceedings, including those where the charges involved are related to illegal use of recreational drugs.

The numbers of convictions in disciplinary cases over the past five years¹ , in which drug misuse was a factor involved, are as follows:

¹ By calendar year.

n/a = Not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Defence Transport and Movements Agency (DTMA) annual report and accounts 2004–05, if he will make a statement on the DTMA's (a) in-year management control, (b) financial data and (c) short-term planning. [24599]

The audit of the accounts by the National Audit Office has provided the assurance that the necessary controls are in place to ensure effective in-year management.

The Defence Transport and Movements Agency, along with other parts of the Ministry of Defence, is due shortly to receive a new forecasting and budgeting computer software package which is expected to improve the flow of financial data.

The short-term planning process challenges all areas of the MOD to produce robust and affordable forward expenditure plans. DTMA, like all parts of the Department has a continued responsibility to respond to requests for savings measures. A clearer picture is, however, now emerging on how the centrally imposed savings wedges referred to in the DTMA annual report and accounts might be absorbed within individual projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many incremental companies there are in the British Army; and to which units each Incremental Company is attached. [28981]

holding answer 15 November 2005

There are three Incremental Companies in the British Army: Nijmegen Company, The Grenadier Guards; 7 Company, The Coldstream Guards; and F Company, The Scots Guards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) whether British Army commanders serving in Basra recently asked for extra troops; and if he will make a statement; [22607]

(2) whether Lieutenant Colonel Henderson, commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards in Basra, requested that Warrior armoured personnel carriers be made available; and if he will make a statement. [22606]

holding answer 28 October 2005

British Army Commanders in Iraq recently requested that an element of the Theatre Reserve Battalion be deployed to Multi National Division (South East) and to this end, as I announced on 10 October to the House, an extra Company from the 1st Battalion The Royal Highland Fusiliers, based in Cyprus, would deploy for a few weeks to assist in the rotation of 12 Mechanised and seven armoured brigades.

I am not aware of a specific request from Lieutenant Colonel Henderson, commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, that Warrior Armoured personnel carriers be made available, but requests of this nature would in the first instance be discussed within the chain of command in theatre. However, the General Officer Commanding Multi National Division (South East) recently asked to retain a number of Warriors from 12 Mechanised Brigade. These have been made available to seven armoured brigade.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces (a) guns and (b) other weapons have been recorded as (i) lost, (ii) stolen and (iii) missing in each year since 1997. [27613]

The information requested is shown in the table:

⁽⁸⁾ SMG—Sub-Machine Gun

⁽⁹⁾ LMG—Light Machine Gun

⁽¹⁰⁾ GPMG—General Purpose Machine Gun

No data is collated on 'missing' weapons. Instances of missing weapons are investigated promptly and then categorised as either 'lost' or 'stolen'.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total volume of nuclear waste produced and requiring storage by (a) his Department and (b) military installations was in each year since 1990, broken down by category of waste; whether the waste is in (i) temporary and (ii) permanent storage; and if he will make a statement. [27661]

No central records are held on volumes of nuclear waste produced and requiring storage for each year since 1990. However, I refer the hon. Member to the United Kingdom Radioactive Waste Inventory¹ to which the Ministry of Defence contributes, and which provides periodic snapshots on radioactive waste stocks, including categories of waste, location and whether the waste is held in temporary or permanent storage. The inventory has previously been published in 1991,1994 and 1998, and a copy of the most recent inventory, for 2001, is available in the Library of the House. A new inventory, for 2004, is in preparation and is due to be published shortly. A copy will be placed in the Library.

1 April of the title year. The Inventory includes information on the quantities, types and characteristics of waste.¹ The United Kingdom Radioactive Waste Inventory is published at three or four yearly intervals by DEFRA and NIREX. The reports provide comprehensive and up-to-date information on waste as at

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of Government funding pledged for the Asia earthquake will be spent on education initiatives. [22065]

There are no specific allocations earmarked for education within the £33 million committed to the relief effort. At present the priorities are to ensure that immediate relief needs such as shelter, water and sanitation and health are met.

The earthquake has caused extensive destruction to physical infrastructure. According to the World Bank and the Asia Development Bank Needs Assessment, most educational institution buildings have either been destroyed or rendered dangerous in the affected area. According to current estimates, 853 teachers and 18,095 students have died. As well as the terrible human cost, the financial cost of rebuilding the infrastructure is estimated to be US$335 million.

DFID will make a significant contribution towards the $5.2 billion estimated by the World Bank and the Asia Development Bank for reconstruction and the return of livelihoods to affected areas. An announcement will be made before the international donor conference in Islamabad on Saturday 19 November.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total amount of aid given to (a) the Pakistan Government and (b) aid agencies has been following the earthquake of 8 October; and if he will make a statement. [27011]

According to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), a total of US$1.44 billion (£828 million) has been pledged by the international community towards relief and reconstruction efforts following the earthquake on 8 October. Of these pledges, US$376 million (£216 million) has been committed. At this stage, it is not possible to accurately disaggregate the total aid allocations through each funding channel.

The UK has so far pledged £33 million of which £29.6 million has already been committed through UN agencies, international and national non-governmental organisations (NGO)s, the Red Cross movement and through direct actions including support to the NATO airbridge and UK helicopter deployment in Pakistan.

The following table presents a breakdown of UK Government spending as of 14 November. Further detail can be found in the regular situation reports available on the DFID website: www.dfid.gov.uk.

UK spending as of 14 November

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many call centres were run by his Department and its agencies in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005–06 to date; and how many and what proportion of calls (i) were handled by an adviser, (ii) were received but abandoned and (iii) received an engaged tone. [23299]

DFID has not operated any call centres in the years specified. While we do not have any calls centres, we do operate a Public Enquiry Point which answers telephone, email and letter inquiries. For the years specified, it has handled the following number of inquiries:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many times the Commission for Africa has met this year. [27554]

The Commission for Africa was established in February 2004 and finished its work at the end of July 2005. There were three full meetings of the commissioners in May 2004, October 2004 and February 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many countries are members of the Commission for Africa. [27555]

The Commission for Africa was established in February 2004. It was made up of 17 commissioners, nine from Africa, all working in an independent capacity. The Commission for Africa report, 'Our Common Interest' reflects an extensive consultation programme, which included participation from 49 African countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which countries have been provided with direct budgetary support by his Department; and what the allocation for each country through direct budgetary support has been in each year since 1999. [19254]

The countries listed are those that have received Poverty Reduction Budget Support (PRBS) from DFID over the last five years. Amounts shown include general PRBS (i.e. a general contribution to the overall budget) and sector PRBS (i.e. support with a more restricted focus). We do not have centrally collated figures for PRBS payments made prior to this period; to obtain this information for 1999–2000 would incur a disproportionate cost.

Poverty reduction budget support