To ask the Solicitor-General what steps the Crown Prosecution Service is taking to reduce the number of unnecessary adjournments in the courts. [58775]

The Charging Programme is a key method of reducing unnecessary adjournments. If the police and CPS can get cases prepared properly before the defendant is charged, the unnecessary delays can be avoided later in the process.

To ask the Solicitor-General what recent assessment he has made of the value for money provided by the Crown Prosecution Service. [58776]

I have regular discussions with the CPS about expenditure, performance and efficiency. Key projects delivering good value for money include charging, greater in-house advocacy and electronic case management.

A recent National Audit Office (NAO) report has provided useful advice on value for money.

To ask the Solicitor-General whether the Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office is meeting its performance targets. [58777]

The Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO) came into being on 18 April 2005. Longer-term performance indicators and targets are being developed as part of the strategic aim to establish RCPO as an effective and fully independent prosecutor.

Currently RCPO is achieving a conviction rate of 88.6 per cent. and guilty pleas are running at 75.9 per cent. For 2005–06 to date, £18 million has been collected in payments from confiscation orders.

To ask the Solicitor-General what assessment he has made of the conduct of prosecutions in relation to the non-completion of electoral registration forms since 1997. [58778]

Prosecutions for election offences are conducted by the Special Crime Division of the Crown Prosecution Service.

If electoral form means the form for registration as an elector, Special Crime Division is unaware of cases having been submitted concerning the non-completion of such forms. It therefore follows that no assessment has been made of them.

To ask the Solicitor-General what his policy is in respect of prosecuting (a) citizens of the UK and (b) non-UK nationals resident in the United Kingdom who have (i) taken-up arms against UK or other coalition forces and (ii) trained in terrorist camps before returning to British jurisdiction. [58660]

There is no difference in prosecution policy towards the prosecution of either UK or non-UK citizens. All cases sent to the CPS are reviewed in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors whatever the nature of the allegation or the nationality of the suspect. A small number of offences such as murder abroad can only be prosecuted if the perpetrator is a UK citizen.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will visit Leicester to discuss school repairs. [58794]

Leicester City is in Wave 1 of Building Schools for the Future, our strategic programme to transform the secondary-school estate over 15 years. I would be happy to visit Leicester when the first new school is finished. Leicester City and its schools will be allocated over £280 million in this and the next two years to improve and repair their buildings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what powers new trust schools will have beyond those already available to foundation schools; and if she will make a statement. [58795]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the Government's policy on three-tier education. [58796]

The Government's aim is to ensure every child receives an excellent education tailored to their needs. It is for local authorities to determine the most appropriate organisation for their schools to achieve this aim—including whether to operate a three or two tier organisation. The Education and Inspections Bill reinforces the position of local authorities as the commissioners of education in their areas, and places new duties on them to promote choice and diversity and respond to parental demand when carrying out their responsibilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the truancy levels in schools in Coventry, South and the west midlands were in the last period for which figures are available. [58797]

The Department does not collect data on the levels of truancy. In 2004/05 the level of unauthorised absence in Primary schools in Coventry South was 0.2 per cent. and for Secondary schools 1.1 per cent. The figures for the West Midlands were 0.37 per cent. for Primary schools and 1.08 per cent. for Secondary schools. Truancy forms only one part of the unauthorised absence figures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Government are taking to increase the numbers of young people involved in volunteering activities. [58798]

The Government are working very closely with the Russell Commission to meet the challenge of one million new young people in volunteering and community action over the next five years. We will be building on the success of the Millennium Volunteers programme which has engaged over 240,000 young volunteers since it was launched by this Government in 1999. The recently published Youth Matters: Next Steps" sets out the strategic direction for this work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of adults who enrolled for (a) further education courses and (b) adult and community learning courses already had qualifications at (i) level 3 or above, (ii) level 2, (iii) level 1 and (iv) below level 1 in the academic year (A) 2002–03, (B) 2003–04 and (C) 2004–05. [58881]

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) winter quarter can be used to provide estimates of the prior qualification levels of learners on further education (FE) courses and adult community learning (ACL) courses. The estimates corresponding to academic years 2002–03 to 2004–05 are shown in the following table.

Prior qualification level of adult learners in further education and adult community learning institutions, England -- Percentage

⁽¹⁾ For qualification levels below level 2 the categories provided match those used in the LFS, and differ from those requested.

Note:

Adults are defined as men aged 18–64 and women aged 18–59.

Source:

LFS Winter Quarters 2002–04

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made towards (a) improving the basic skill levels of adults, (b) ensuring that one million adults in the work force achieve NVQ level 2 between 2003 and 2006 and (c) increasing participation in higher education for those aged 18 to 30 years by 50 per cent. by 2010. [58013]

From April 2001 to July 2005,1,275,000 adults have achieved a qualification in literacy, language or numeracy and have counted towards the Skills for Life" PSA target.

The autumn 2005 Labour Force Survey shows that the number of adults in the work force with a NVQ level 2 or higher qualification has increased by 841,000 since autumn 2002, the baseline for the 2006 milestone of the adult level 2 PSA target.

The Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR) measures progress in relation to the target to increase participation in higher education toward 50 per cent. of young people aged 18 to 30. The provisional figure for the HEIPR for 2003/04 was 43 per cent., up from 41 per cent. in 1999/00.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the availability of child care for parents who work at weekends; and if she will make a statement. [57868]

We do not collect centrally data for the availability of child care for parents who work at weekends. However, the Repeat Study of Parents' Demand for Childcare (2002)" survey captures information on the use of child care. It reported that around 22 per cent. of lone parent households and 11 per cent. of couples used weekend child care.

The Childcare Bill, which had its 3rd reading in the House of Commons on the 9 March, places a duty on local authorities to secure, as far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient child care in order to enable parents to take up or remain in work or education and training.

Local authorities will be required to assess the needs of parents, including for child care at weekend and other atypical working patterns, and take them into account when deciding how to develop strategies for meeting local need.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many childminders have been registered since the introduction of the new light touch voluntary accreditation scheme announced in Budget 2004. [59083]

9,102 childminders have registered with Ofsted since 6 April 2005 when voluntary accreditation was introduced. The Childcare Approval Scheme (GAS) is for two groups:

providers of childcare provided in the child's home—for instance a nanny;

and childminders providing care for children over the age of 7.

1,632 carers were approved under the (CAS) in the same period. We do not distinguish between these two groups in the data collection.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what capital investment from her Department has been spent on the provision of child care services for three and four-year-olds; and if she will make a statement. [59084]

The General Sure Start Grant made available £335.8 million capital in 2004–06 for the delivery of children's services. Local authorities have been given the freedom to use funding to develop a range of provision including creating children's centres, expanding playgroups and nurseries; this includes child care provision for three and four-year-olds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what child care services the additional capital investment in (a) 2006–07 and (b) 2007–08 will fund; and if she will make a statement. [59085]

The General Sure Start Grant will make available £420.7 million in 2006–07 and £392.4 million in 2007–08 in capital funding. Local authorities have been given the freedom to determine how best to invest these funds to deliver the Ten Year Childcare Strategy, including the development of children's centres, extended schools and other child care.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills

(1) what types of early interventions children's centres are expected to offer families with a disabled child; [58736]

(2) how many disabled children, as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, have received a service from Sure Start local programmes. [58737]

The Sure Start Children's Centres Practice Guidance, published in November 2005, states clearly that disabled children should be fully included in all services provided by children's centres. It highlights the need to tailor services to meet the needs of individual disabled children. It outlines appropriate services, including: family support, portage and home-visiting; key workers to help parents of severely disabled children access services; therapy; early years provision and information. It also indicates that children's centres should use the Early Support resources and approaches to provide effective early intervention.

Information on how many disabled children have received a service from Sure Start local programmes is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she plans to take to reconcile (a) the two year accelerated degrees proposed in the 2003 Higher Education White Paper and (b) the five and six year medicine and dentistry courses with the three cycle degree system proposed in the Bologna process. [58978]

The Bologna process is about responding to the challenge of globalisation and improving the competitiveness of European higher education. While it seeks to improve the compatibility and comparability of European higher education systems, it is not about harmonisation.

Work on the feasibility of two year accelerated degrees in England is being taken forward through a series of pilot exercises in a number of individual higher education institutions (HEIs). Before we take any decision about enabling HEIs to offer accelerated degrees more widely, we will need to be satisfied that the learning outcomes from such courses are equivalent in terms of the knowledge, competences and skills acquired by students to those of a more traditional course.

Medicine and dentistry courses prepare students not only in the theory of their subject but also give them a range of practical experience leading ultimately to a licence to practise. The arrangements in other European countries are similar. The implications of the Bologna process for medical and dental qualifications also need to be considered alongside EU directives on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications within EU countries. The higher education sector is currently considering, with expert stakeholders from both the medical and dental fields, whether any further action is needed to align these courses more closely to the Bologna principles.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to protect four-year mechanical engineering courses following the proposed three cycle degree system under the Bologna process. [58980]

Four year courses leading to a Masters qualification exist in a number of higher education institutions in several scientific disciplines. I understand that they are popular with both students and employers. Decisions on whether or not to offer such courses are a matter for individual institutions. Provided these courses achieve learning outcomes that are equivalent to those of the more traditional Bachelors/Masters model, that they conform to the Bologna principles.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance she has issued to higher education institutions on how best to engage with the Bologna process. [58982]

The Department works closely with the sector-wide UK Higher Education (HE) Europe unit to raise awareness of the Bologna process among higher education institutions (HEIs) in the UK. Last year the Europe unit produced a guide to the Bologna process for the sector. The unit holds regular discussion groups and conferences on Bologna themes and issues policy position statements and newsletters. The Department also works with the network of UK Bologna promoters that is funded by the European Commission. They are based in individual HEIs and are active in supporting the implementation of Bologna process across the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations she has received from higher education establishments on the European Commission's proposal to establish a European Institute of Technology. [58976]

I have received direct representations from Universities UK (UUK) on the Commission's proposal to establish the European Institute of Technology (EIT). I understand that some UK universities also wrote directly to the Commission about this. The universities raised a number of concerns about the proposal, including the risk that the EIT would unhelpfully divert funding from the Framework Programme 7 or the European Research Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the European Commission's proposal to establish a European Institute of Technology. [58981]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 27 February 2006, .Official Report, column 530W

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2006, Official Report, column 678W, on exam results, what the average A level attainment of entrants to undergraduate courses leading to qualified teacher status has been in each year since 2002–03, based on the best three qualifications; and what proportion of entrants attained (a) at least (i) 360, (ii) 300, (iii) 240, (iv) 180 and (v) 120 and (b) fewer than 120 points in their three best A levels in each year since 2002–03. [50633]

The information is not held centrally. The data collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on the highest qualification of undergraduate entrants shows the number of A levels obtained and the total A level tariff score, but because tariff scores are not collected for individual A levels it is not possible to derive the tariff score for the three best A levels.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what forecasts of future skills and labour market needs have been carried out in each of the local Learning and Skills Council areas; and what steps have been taken to act on the data collected. [58885]

All local LSCs are required to prepare a plan for each financial year. The plan includes an assessment of the skills and training needed to meet the needs of individuals and employers in the area; and proposals on how the local council intends to carry out its functions, and achieve the objectives and priorities identified in the plan. Plans for 2006–07 are being finalised and will be published on the LSC's website shortly.

Data on skills and labour market needs in each of the local Learning and Skills Council areas is also contained in the Working Futures 2004 to 2014 reports, commissioned by the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA), and available on their website at www.ssda.org.uk. Local LSCs will be using this information to inform their plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects to give a substantive answer to question reference 55453, on early years programme funds, tabled by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead on 27 February. [59154]

I replied to my right hon. Friend on 14 March 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many overseas visits special advisers in her Department made in an official capacity since January 2004; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost. [52672]

Since 1999 the Government have published, on an annual basis, the total costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500. Copies of the lists are available in the Library of the House. Information for the financial year 2004–05 was published on 21 July 2005, Official Report, 158WS. Between 31 January 2004 and 31 January 2006, a special adviser accompanied me on one visit to Brussels. The travel costs of special advisers accompanying Ministers on overseas are included in the annual list of overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers. Information for the financial year 2005–06 is in the process of being collated and will be published when it is ready.

All official travel by special advisers is undertaken in accordance with the guidance set out in the Ministerial Code" and the Civil Service Management Code".

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many graduates are waiting for their 2004–05 student loan repayments to be transferred from HM Revenue and Customs to the Student Loans Company. [58592]

holding answer 14 March 2006

Some borrowers' student loan accounts have not yet been updated with 2004–05 repayment information as there have been some delays in HMRC processing Employer's Annual Returns for 2004–05. HMRC anticipates that the bulk of all 2004–05 Employer's Annual Returns will have been processed by the end of April 2006. We will not know how many accounts are affected by this delay until all returns have been processed, as not all student loan borrowers will have been due to make repayments. However borrowers who have made repayments will be able to calculate from their payslips amounts they have repaid and thus the balance outstanding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Sure Start places there are in each local authority area of England; and how many places there are per 10,000 children in each area, ranked in descending order. [57380]

The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the Government will report on progress on the Sure Start targets of an increase in the proportion of children with (a) satisfactory speech and language development at age two years, (b) normal levels of communication, language and literacy at age five years and (c) normal levels of personal, social and emotional development for their age; and if she will make a statement. [58730]

The Department for Education and Skills' Autumn Performance Report 2005" (Cm 6719) explained that the Sure Start targets set in Spending Review 2002 for increases in the proportion of children aged five reaching normal levels of communication, language and literacy and normal levels of personal, social and emotional development for their age, will be measured under Spending Review 2004 public service agreement (PSA) target 1. The baseline and target for PSA target 1 is currently being established and will be available in the next departmental report, which will be published later this year.

The final 2005 figures for the foundation stage profile in England were published in Statistical First Release 03/2006 Foundation Stage Profile 2005: National Results (Final)" on 16 February 2006, a copy of which is available on my Department's website at www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/

The Sure Start language measure assesses children with satisfactory speech and language development at age two in Sure Start communities. The proportion of children both with high word count scores and whose parents were free of concerns about their child's development rose from 73 per cent. in 2003 to 76 per cent. in 2004. Results for 2005 will be available in the next departmental report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to reduce the incidence of teenage pregnancy in the eastern region. [57280]

Following the launch of the Government's Teenage Pregnancy Strategy in 1999, each local authority was asked to put in place a strategy to reduce local under-18 conception rates by between 40–60 per cent. by 2010. These local targets underpin the national target to halve England's under-18 conception rate by 2010. Local strategies focus on: improving the effectiveness of sex and relationships education (SRE) in schools; improving young people's access to contraceptive and sexual health advice; and supporting parents so they are better able to talk to their children about relationships and sexual health. This is supported by a national media campaign on local radio and in teen magazines, with key messages on: the benefits of delaying early sex; resisting peer pressure; and promoting condom use among young people who are already sexually active.

Data for 2004 (published in February 2006) shows that since the 1998 baseline year, the under-18 conception rate has fallen by 11.1 per cent. and the under-16 rate has fallen by 15.2 per cent. Both rates are now at their lowest levels since the mid-1980s. The decline in the under-18 conception rate in eastern region over the same period is 13.4 per cent. A full analysis of the causes of teenage pregnancy will be included in a strategy document setting out the next phase of the teenage pregnancy strategy, due to be published shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research her Department has commissioned on the likely impact of the new top-up fees regime on the number of EU domiciled students choosing to study at higher education institutions in England. [58979]

The Department has not commissioned any research on the impact of the top-up fees regime on the number of EU domiciled students studying at English higher education institutions. However we will continue to monitor student numbers and any trends in applicants from EU countries. The cost of travelling to and living in the UK will continue to be an important factor in any decision taken by EU nationals who wish to study in the UK.

To ask the Prime Minister on what date he was first informed of the letter written by Mr. David Mills to Baroness Symons in 2002 on Government assistance for the sale of aircraft to Iran. [59093]

I have nothing further to add to the letter sent by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary (Jack Straw) to the right hon. and learned Member for Devizes (Michael Ancram) on 24 January 2005.

To ask the Prime Minister what work Mr. Alistair Campbell has undertaken for the Government since January 2005. [58049]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis) on 20 December 2004, Official Report, column 1353W.

To ask the Prime Minister

(1) on what basis the decision was first taken that the right hon. Member for Dulwich and West Norwood (Tessa Jowell) should not participate in Cabinet discussions on Iran; and what the basis is for her continued absence from such discussions; [59090]

(2) on what date the right hon. Member for Dulwich and West Norwood (Tessa Jowell) first absented herself from discussions in Cabinet and Cabinet Committees on matters relating to Iran; [59091]

(3) on what date the decision was taken that the right hon. Member for Dulwich and West Norwood (Tessa Jowell) should not participate in Cabinet discussions about Iran. [59092]

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the occasions in the current Parliament when members of the Cabinet have withdrawn from discussions in consideration of actual or perceived conflict of interest. [59153]

I refer the right hon. and hon. Members to the press briefing given by my official spokesman on 13 March 2006, a copy of which is available on the Number 10 website. Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet is not disclosed.

To ask the Prime Minister what the total cost of building work at 10 Downing Street has been in the last three years. [55281]

The Downing Street complex, made up of Numbers 10, 11 and 12, is maintained to standards appropriate to its Grade 1/2 listed status in consultation with English Heritage. The building also fulfils an important representational role.

The total cost of refurbishment, maintenance and structural improvements for the whole Downing Street complex in the last three years has been:

Figures for 2005–06 are not yet available.

To ask the Prime Minister whether he has been informed by the House of Lords Appointments Committee of the reasons why certain recent nominees for a peerage were rejected; and if he will make a statement. [58989]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 36W.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will reconsider his Department's response to the recommendation of the Public Administration Select Committee to set up an independent honours commission; and if he will make a statement. [59001]

The Command Paper Reform of the Honours System" (Cm 6479) sets out the Government position. Copies are available in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Prime Minister, how many people were waiting more than 15 months for in-patient treatment in (a) March 1997 and (b) January 2006. [59752]

In 1997 5,733 patients were waiting for more than 15 months. Waiting lists by time band for the period January 2005–06 were published by the Department of Health on 3 March 2006 and can be found on the Department of Health website and in the Library of the House.

In my answer to the right hon. Member for Witney (David Cameron) on 8 March 2006, Official Report, column 813, I inadvertently said that almost 300,000 people used to wait more than 15 months for their operation in 1997. This should have referred to the almost 300,000 people who waited more than 6 months for their operation in 1997.

To ask the Prime Minister when he expects the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) to move out of the Home Secretary's official residence. [58562]

To ask the Prime Minister on what date the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) left his official residence. [59184]

My right hon. Friend has already done so.

To ask the Prime Minister when he expects the House of Lords Appointments Commission to give its approval to the latest list of nominations for the peerage; and if he will make a statement. [57408]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 36W.

To ask the Prime Minister what factors he took into account in recommending Sir Nigel Crisp for a peerage; and if he will make a statement. [58212]

As I said at Prime Minister's questions on 8 March 2006, Official Report, column 813W, Sir Nigel Crisp was a superb public servant who has overseen a transformation in the health service. He will be able to make a significant contribution to the work of the House of Lords.

To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had on the Sovereign's role in the State Opening of Parliament. [57341]

Information relating to internal meetings, discussion and advice is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will increase expenditure on flood risk prevention measures, including the maintenance of existing defences. [56929]

Government funding (central and local) for flood and coastal erosion risk management has increased from £307 million in 1996–97 to an estimated outturn of some £600 million in 2005–06. Defra funding allocations have been fixed up to 2007–08 and for later years will be considered in the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review in 2007.

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

(1) what percentage margin of error she has allowed for her predictions of sea level rise on the East coast of England over the next (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 50 and (d) 100 years; [56931]

(2) what the average level of sea rise was over the last 10 years on the East coast of England due to (a) climate change and (b) isostatic change; and what estimate she has made of the rise over the next (i) 10, (ii) 20, (iii) 50 and (iv) 100 years; [56935]

(3) what criteria were used in making the decision to require the Environment Agency and other operating authorities to assume that isostatic change on the East coast will be 1.5 mm a year; and what account was taken of the latest UK Climate Change Impacts Programme data in making the decision. [56936]

The Department does not issue predictions over these time periods. The UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) is funded by Defra and based at the university of Oxford. Their projections for sea level rise were last updated in November 2005 and are given in the form of ranges. For Eastern England these were from 17 cm (low emissions of greenhouse" gases, lowest estimate) to 77 cm (high emissions, highest estimate), including isostatic subsidence of 0.8 mm per year, for the period from 1975 to 2085. (The years 1975 and 2085 are the mid-points of the periods to which these estimates relate—1961–90 and 2071–2100 respectively.)

These ranges indicate the uncertainty inherent in such predictions which increases the further into the future one attempts to predict. There is significant inter-annual fluctuation in sea levels due to long-term tidal cycles and meteorological effects. It is not therefore helpful to look at relatively short-term changes over a single decade. The underlying rate of relative sea level rise in South and East England that takes account of both land level change and sea level rise has been of the order of 2 mm per year for recent decades.

The Department used the range of estimates published in the UKCIP 2002 report (from 22 cm to 82 cm for Eastern England for the period 1975 to 2085, including isostatic subsidence of 1.2 mm per year) as the basis of recommended allowances for use in the design and appraisal of coastal defences over the next 50 years that aim to balance appropriate precaution with the need to avoid expenditure on unnecessary works. For Eastern England the recommended allowance is 6 mm per year or 48 cm for the period 1975 to 2055 compared to the UK CIP estimate under high emissions of 42 cm for the same period. We are in discussion with the Environment Agency regarding appropriate allowances for the latter part of the century and expect to issue further interim guidance later in the year.

The changes between the UKCIP 2002 and 2005 estimates reflect changes in the isostatic (land movement) estimates. The main source on long term land movement in the UK, used as the basis for this recommendation and the UKCIP reports is the work of Ian Shennan at Durham university. The Defra recommended allowances have not been changed to reflect the 2005 change in estimate of land subsidence in Eastern England published by UKCIP. This and other evidence will be considered when the allowances are next reviewed but it is clear that they still represent a reasonably precautionary approach to the middle of the century. In view of the long term nature of coastal risk management investments and the time taken for project development, it is desirable that there should not be frequent fluctuations in the Defra recommended allowances.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Treasury on setting a figure of 4.5 mm a year for sea level rise over the next 100 years for every tidal location in the UK as the basis for developing flood management strategies and shoreline management plans. [56932]

Defra has not had any specific discussions with HM Treasury on any particular estimates of sea level rise. The 4.5 mm per year is the average predicted sea level rise for every tidal location in England and Wales. This allowance is adjusted for long term land movement. The guidance was reviewed in 2003 and no changes were recommended. These allowances are published on our website and are subject to periodic reviews.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the degree of variation between national and local data on sea level rise (a) along the Suffolk coast and (b) in Suffolk estuaries; and if she will take steps to measure local variations. [56933]

No specific studies of these local variations have been made by Defra, though the national studies supported by the Department take account of data from the national network of tide gauges, including those at Lowestoft and Felixstowe. There are no plans for more local studies. They would be matters for the local operating authorities to consider, though caution would be needed in ensuring that any apparent short-term local trends were representative of wider underlying changes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what account is taken in the allocation of capital grants for flood and river defence schemes between coastal and inland flood defence projects of (a) national priorities for protecting parts of the coast within areas of outstanding natural beauty and (b) maintaining high levels of employment and economic activity within these areas. [56963]

In order to be eligible for Defra grant, capital improvement projects must satisfy basic technical, economic and environmental criteria and the priority score requirement for the year in which they start.

Economic justification for proposed investment should as far as possible take into account benefits arising from protection of all assets, including those relating to the environment and economic activity such as tourism. Higher benefits in relation to costs will tend to increase a proposed project's priority for funding. No specific extra priority is given in the scoring system to projects which would reduce flood risk to areas of outstanding natural beauty but such a benefit could be included in the scoring system insofar as it could be quantified. The scoring system does not allocate grant between coastal and inland sites. Individual projects are considered equally for grant using the same criteria regardless of location.

It is important to note that the priority scoring system does not attempt to determine the need for defences in an absolute sense but to prioritise proposed projects so that finite funding is allocated to best effect nationally.

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

(1) what representations her Department has received on the availability of insurance to those who have been affected by flooding; [59438]

(2) what steps she plans to take to ensure that (a) commercial and (b) domestic properties in areas prone to flooding can obtain insurance cover; [59439]

(3) what discussions she has had with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on insurance for properties prone to flooding. [59440]

The Government continue to work with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) with a mutual aim of continuing affordable domestic flood cover into the future. The ABI has agreed and published on their website a Statement of Principles" which sets out the commitments made by the insurance industry to maintain flood insurance cover for the majority of domestic and small business properties at risk in association with commitments made by the Government on flood risk management.

Decisions by insurers are risk-based and unfortunately the industry is not able to provide insurance cover to 100 per cent. of properties at risk. Representations have been received relating to cases where people have experienced problems in obtaining insurance cover. However, the number of such representations is in line with our understanding that cover has continued to be available at competitive cost to the vast majority of properties in areas at risk of flooding.

Policy on insurance in general is a matter for Treasury. Officials from Treasury are included in our discussions with ABI but otherwise I have had no specific discussions on the matter with either the Chancellor or the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has issued notice of contractual terminations to mobile phone companies relating to mobile telephone masts located in her departmental offices in Epsom Road, Merrow, Guildford. [58048]

The Department has not issued a notice of termination to any mobile phone company in relation to telephone masts at its Epsom Road, Guildford offices.

A lease expires on 10 July 2006 and appropriate discussions will commence with the provider prior to that date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take to ensure continuity of satisfactory water supplies in the event of an outbreak of pandemic influenza; and if she will make a statement. [58262]

My Department has liaised closely with water companies about their preparedness in the event of a flu pandemic. Water companies are aware of the Department of Health's influenza pandemic plan and are able to access it. They know the minimum staffing levels required for their key functions and they have taken this issue into account in their business continuity plans to ensure that they will have sufficient manpower available to maintain the delivery of water supplies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what monitoring the Government undertakes of nitrous oxide levels in water supplies in (a) Bedfordshire and (b) England; and if she will make a statement. [58545]

Nitrous oxide is a trace gas in the atmosphere. It is produced naturally mainly by the bacteriological breakdown of nitrogen in oceans and the soils of rainforests. Its common name is laughing gas" and it is best known for its use as an anaesthetic in clinical dentistry. Approximately 65 per cent. of nitrous oxide emissions are accounted for by natural processes, the remainder is due to man's activities such as artificial fertilisers, manure fertilisers, fossil fuel combustion degradation (and nylon production. Other uses of nitrous oxide are as a propellant in aerosol cans, in place of CFCs and it is occasionally used in the fuel lines of racing cars to enhance acceleration.

Drinking water supplies in England and Wales are tested for only those substances of relevance to public health. Tests are done routinely for nitrate and nitrite but not for nitrous oxide. The World Health Organisation has not found it necessary on health grounds to set a guideline value for nitrous oxide in drinking water. Likewise there is no standard set in the EU Drinking Water Directive and no requirement in the drinking water regulations for England and Wales for water companies to monitor drinking water supplies for nitrous oxide. Details of nitrate and nitrite standards and concentrations in drinking water are published on the website of the Drinking Water Inspectorate www.dwi.gov.uk. Consumers in Bedfordshire can obtain the most up to date drinking water quality testing results for their homes and workplaces directly from their local water company.

Because nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas, environmental scientists have shown an interest in its concentration in the water environment. A correlation between the natural water concentrations of nitrate and nitrous oxide is recorded in the scientific literature pointing towards nitrification in soil as a main production mechanism of nitrous oxide in groundwater. However, nitrous oxide is not only produced as an intermediate step in the process of nitrification of ammonia in the presence of oxygen but it is also produced by denitrification of nitrate in the absence of oxygen. A NERC funded study of groundwater concentrations in the R. Bure catchment area of Norfolk was undertaken by University of East Anglia in 2001. The Environment Agency is responsible for determining the monitoring requirements for rivers and groundwater in England and Wales.

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

(1) what her Department's policy is on biofuels; [57787]

(2) what support her Department gives to the agricultural sector to grow and process alternative crops for renewable energy; [57788]

(3) what steps she is taking (a) to promote alternative crops for renewable energy and (b) to encourage the establishment of biofuel processing plants in England; [57789]

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

(1) what steps she is taking to promote oilseed rape and sugar beet farming for the biofuels industry in rural areas; [58371]

(2) what steps she is taking to promote the domestic biofuels industry in the UK. [58372]

Bio-energy has an important role in supporting the Government's objectives for improving sustainability, reducing the impact of climate change, farm diversification and supporting rural jobs and areas.

Farmers growing certain crops for transport biofuels or the generation of heat and electricity can receive the single payment for crops on set-aside land or where the €45/ha energy aid payment is claimed for crops on non set-aside land. Grants are available to farmers to establish energy crops for heat and power generation and to develop supply chains for energy crops and wood fuel, from harvest and processing through to delivery to end-users. Research has been commissioned to improve pest and disease resistance and crop yields.

The production of transport biofuels is supported through the 20 pence per litre cut in the duty rate for biodiesel and bioethanol. This has brought forward sales amounting to around 0.25 per cent. of all road fuel sales. In order to further develop supply, the Government have announced that a renewable transport fuels obligation will be introduced. This will require 5 per cent. of road fuel to come from a renewable source by 2010. Other measures are being considered, such as duty incentives to encourage the mixing of biomass with hydrocarbons in the conventional refinery process, and an enhanced capital allowance scheme for the cleanest biofuels processing plants. The latter scheme would allow the cost of capital assets to be written off against taxable profits. Regional support grants for capital investment in production plants are already available. A number of companies are either building, or have plans to build, biofuel processing plants that will include UK-grown oilseed rape, wheat or sugar beet as a feedstock.

£66 million has been allocated to develop markets for biomass, including energy crops, in heat and electricity generation. Electricity suppliers are required to source 15 per cent. of their electricity from renewables, including energy crops, by 2015. Co-firing of energy crops with fossil fuels in conventional power stations is developing. A cross-departmental team is looking at the recommendations of the Biomass Task Force on ways to overcome the barriers to developing biomass heat and power. The Government will publish a full response by the end of April.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what average length of time local authorities in England took to make rights-of-way modification orders in 2004–05; how many orders Staffordshire has outstanding; and what percentage of orders were successful. [57852]

Local highway authorities are responsible for the management of rights of way and all information relating to modification orders is held by the authorities, rather than central government. Information on the length of time for local authorities in England to make modification orders and the percentage of successful orders could be gathered only at disproportionate cost.

Under schedule 5 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 surveying authorities had until 31 December 2005 to establish a register of definitive map modification order applications. Staffordshire has 287 outstanding applications.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) minimum and (b) maximum temperature change the Hadley Centre has predicted for each decade of the next 100 years. [59054]

The Hadley Centre has provided Defra with scenarios of global and UK temperature change, based on possible future greenhouse gas emissions generated by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change marker emissions scenarios; and scaled from the UKCIP02 scenarios for the 21st century. The IPCC emissions scenarios range from a low population growth, clean technology, convergent world (B1), to a high population growth, energy intensive technology world (A1FI). Forecast temperature changes derived in this way are subject to uncertainties in future emissions and in climate modelling. However, they provide a range of plausible futures. It is important to note that no one scenario is considered any more likely than any other.

Estimates of global and UK minimum and maximum temperature changes consistent with IPCC scenarios and Hadley Centre model predictions are shown below. These are based on one model from the Hadley Centre and show a smaller range of temperature change than in the IPCC Third Assessment Report. The temperature increases shown below are relative to 1961–90 mean temperatures (effectively relative to 1975 and hence the apparent large initial rise between then and the mid-2010s). The global temperature rise between 1900 and 1975 of approximately 0.2 oC needs to be added in order to estimate changes relative to pre-industrial temperature levels.

⁽²⁾ Minimum (Scenario B1) Temperature Rises (oC)

⁽³⁾ Maximum (Scenario A1FI) Temperature Rises (oC)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how he plans to meet the commitment in the 2003 Aviation White Paper to report by the end of 2006 on progress on the policies and proposals in the Paper. [53342]

The Department for Transport expects to publish a Progress Report on the Air Transport White Paper (ATWP) by the end of 2006. It is expected to report on progress so far, take account of developments since publication, and set out what remains to be done in implementing the ATWP strategy. Work on the Report is currently at the stage of scoping and planning.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ensure that the Crossrail fleet is built in Great Britain. [55272]

All procurement in the Crossrail project, including rolling stock, will be undertaken in accordance with the EU procurement rules with the aim of obtaining value for money for the public.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many jobs in his Department have been relocated to Wales since 2001. [57672]

No jobs have been relocated to Wales since 2001.

However, in association with the Department's shared services programme, we expect some 250 full time equivalent staff to be employed in a new shared services centre in Swansea over the next three years. Some of these posts are expected to be filled by Departmental staff relocating from outside Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) public speeches and (b) official visits he has made on departmental business since 5 May 2005; and how many letters he sent in this period. [55711]

In his capacity as Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has made 5 May 2005. This is in addition to his responsibilities as Secretary of State for Scotland, which will be outlined in a separate response.(a) 31 public speeches as well as various debates in the House; and (b) 24 visits; and he has sent approximately 2,450 letters, since

All visits and speeches are conducted in line with the ministerial code. Other Ministers in the Department will also have made speeches, undertaken official visits as well as sending many letters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding has been allocated to each local authority for the provision of free off-peak bus travel for pensioners from April 2006; and whether this funding is ringfenced. [58421]

The Government are providing an extra £350 million for 2006–07 through the formula grant system. The general consensus is that this will be sufficient in aggregate to fund the additional cost to local authorities. This funding is unhypothecated; therefore the funding for concessionary fares is not separately identified to local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost of his private office was in the last year for which figures are available. [55723]

The final out-turn for the running costs of the office for my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, for 2004–05 was £0.5 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport

(1) what discussions he has had with GNER on the east coast main line service out of King's Cross in 2005; [55903]

(2) when he was first informed that GNER had made significant donations to the Labour party in the fourth quarter of 2005; [55905]

(3) what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) departmental officials have had with GNER in (i) the last quarter of 2005, (ii) the first three quarters of 2005 and (iii) 2006; [55906]

(4) what hospitality (a) Ministers and (b) officials have received from GNER in (i) 2005 and (ii) 2006; [55907]

(5) when he was first informed that GNER had increased its donation to the Labour party in the period immediately prior to the re-awarding of its franchise. [55908]

The Secretary of State had no knowledge of the GNER donation until a report appeared in a newspaper on 28 February 2006.

In accordance with Treasury guidelines and departmental procedures, Ministers are kept separate from, and take no part in commercial negotiations in the franchise process. Commercial negotiations are the responsibility of a small team of officials and their advisers. The identity of bidders and their progress through the evaluation and selection processes is restricted to this team.

Ministers and officials meet on many occasions with rail franchisees. Matters discussed at many of them are confidential for commercial or other reasons.

No hospitality was received from GNER except for a cup of coffee at Kings Cross main line station provided for the Secretary of State when he took part in a ceremony to mark the completion of the upgrading of GNER mallard trains in December 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by how much the cost of a standard return rail ticket between Stockport and London Euston purchased on the day of travel has changed since 1997. [52489]

The Department has details of individual fares for 1995, but not 1997. Stockport-London fares have changed as follows since 1995:

£

⁽⁴⁾ Used by approximately 10–15 per cent. of passengers

⁽⁵⁾ Used by approximately 55–60 per cent. of passengers

⁽⁶⁾ Used by approximately 25–30 per cent. of passengers

⁽⁷⁾ Book 14 days in advance

⁽⁸⁾ Book by 18:00 hours day before

Both the Saver Return (a flexible standard class off-peak ticket) Standard Open Return (a fully-flexible ticket, valid at any time including Monday-Friday business peaks) can be bought on the day of travel. The cheapest advance purchase fares can now be booked until 18:00 hours the day before travel.

The first phases of the 7.6 billion modernisation of the West Coast Main Line are now complete, and new Pendolino trains have been introduced providing a half hourly service from Manchester and Stockport to London. All that has to be paid for.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of delays on the rail network he attributes to (a) Network Rail and (b) train operating companies (i) since the creation of Network Rail and (ii) between 2000 and the Railtrack administration order coming into effect. [54952]

In the year leading up to the Railtrack Administration order (October 2001), 61 per cent. of train delays was attributed to Railtrack and 39 per cent. to train operators. Under Network Rail, this proportion has changed to 53 per cent. for Network Rail and 47 per cent. for train operators in the most recent 12-month period.

Since Network Rail took over responsibility for the railway infrastructure in 2002, it has reduced its delays to passenger services by 32 per cent. In the same time period, the public performance measure of trains running punctually has improved from a low of 78.6 per cent. and is currently running at 85.8 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the economic impact on Plymouth of the proposed new First Great Western timetable. [57903]

holding answer 13 March 2006

The Strategic Rail Authority and the Department for Transport in preparing the specification for rail franchises assess the financial effects, value for money, user and non user economic benefits that are generated by the franchise specification.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the (a) reliability, (b) punctuality and (c) frequency of trains running to and from Staffordshire; what plans he has to improve those services; and if he will make a statement. [58077]

Network Rail monitors the reliability and punctuality of services for all franchised train operating companies. Data are not available by geographical county, however details of recent performance by those train operating companies providing services in Staffordshire is summarised as follows.

Percentage

⁽⁹⁾ Better.

⁽¹⁰⁾ Same.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 18 October 2005 proposals to re-map the existing franchises in the Midlands. This change is designed to improve the efficiency and performance of the railways, achieving savings through economies of scale and improving service to customers. This will also encourage better joint working between Network Rail and TOCs to deliver an improved service to customers. Also, work has started on four tracking the West Coast Main Line between Rugeley and Tamworth. This will greatly enhance route capacity and overall reliability.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the definitions of Act of God used by the train operating companies in relation to train cancellations. [58419]

The rail industry's classification used for train delays and cancellations does not use the term 'Act of God'. Events which cause train cancellations are attributed to a specific cause wherever known. This is done in order to help train companies understand the root causes, and to use the information to reduce such incidents in the future

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of railway stations are covered by closed circuit television equipment; if he will list the stations so covered; what plans are in place to provide CCTV equipment for the remainder; and if he will make a statement. [56494]

Station security, including the installation and operation of closed circuit television (CCTV) equipment is a matter for train operators in conjunction as necessary with the British Transport police. Approximately one third of the 2,500 stations nationally, and over half of the 300 national rail stations in London, now have CCTV. This number is steadily increasing as operators and Transport for London continues to invest in increased security.

The Department is ensuring that tough new security standards covering stations, policing and CCTV are to be incorporated into contracts every time a franchise is renewed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the railway stations in Cumbria which do not have (a) waiting rooms, (b) toilets and (c) disabled access; and if he will make a statement. [58588]

There are 44 railway stations in Cumbria that do not have either(a) a waiting room, (b) toilets or (c) disabled access. These are in the following list:

Armathwaite

Arnside

Askam

Aspatria

Barrow in Furness

Bootle

Brampton (Cumbria)

Braystones

Burneside

Cark-in-Cartmel

Carnforth

Corkickle

Dalston

Dalton-in-Furness

Dent

Drigg

Flimby

Foxfield

Garsdale

Grange O Sands

Green Road

Harrington

Kendal

Kents Bank

Kirkby Stephen

Kirkby-in-Furness

Langwathby

Lazonby and Kirkoswald

Marypot

Millom

Nertherown

Parton

Ravenglass for Eskdale

Roose

Seascale

Sellafield

Silecroft

St. Bees

Staveley

Ulverston

Wetheral

Wigton

Windermere

Workington

A detailed breakdown of which of these facilities are, or are not available at each of these stations, has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what budget has been allocated for each of the next three years to make railway stations comply with the Disability Discrimination Acts (DDAs) of 1995 and 2005; how much has been spent in each of the last 10 years on making railway stations DDA compliant; which stations have received dedicated funding; how much has been spent on each such station; and what estimate he has made of the amount that needs to be spent on railway stations to make them all DDA compliant. [58418]

It is for station operators to meet the requirements of Part 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 with regard to access for disabled people. The Act requires them to take reasonable steps to ensure that disabled people do not find it impossible or unreasonably difficult to access their services by removing or altering physical features, by finding a way to avoid them, or by providing the service by a reasonable alternative means. It is therefore not simply a case of making physical alterations to stations, but rather taking such action as is reasonable for any particular station.

We do not hold any central records of how much has been spent improving accessibility at individual stations over the last 10 years, or of which stations have received such improvements.

We do, however, recognise that station access is a key issue in making the railway system accessible to disabled people. We will be publishing a strategy for rail accessibility shortly which will include details of how the £370 million Access for All funding will be targeted to deliver access improvements at stations over the next 10 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his Department's work with (a) Network Rail and (b) train operating companies to reduce petty crime at major rail stations. [56126]

The Department continues to work with Network Rail, train operators and others, including the British Transport police, the Office of Rail Regulation and local authorities, to reduce crime as well as the fear of crime wherever it occurs on the transport network.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list each Government-funded station redevelopment project announced since 1997; what the (a) initial cost estimates and (b) target completion dates of each was; and what the latest (i) cost estimate and (ii) target completion date is for each uncompleted project. [54993]

Funding for the majority of heavy rail station re-development schemes has been provided and managed by Railtrack and more recently Network Rail along with the Passenger Transport Executives, the Scottish Executive, Welsh Assembly Government and Transport for London. The department does not hold records of such expenditure by these organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact on regeneration in Teesside in the last two years of the use of Article 14 directives. [57141]

holding answer 9 March 2006

Article 14 directions give the Highways Agency time to discuss with the developer and the local planning authority the implications of development proposals on the trunk road network, and to agree acceptable solutions.

Use of this process has meant that the Highways Agency has been able to reach a satisfactory outcome on all regeneration proposals in Teesside that they have been involved in over the last two years. The Article 14 directives have had a positive impact by enabling the appropriate mitigation measures to be put in place ensuring the safe and efficient operation of the trunk road network has been maintained. These measures have included capacity improvements to the highways, and Travel Plan initiatives such as new public transport services to support the developments.

The alternative to using Article 14 in this way would be to direct refusal of the application due to insufficient information. This would cause significant delay to the regeneration proposals and adversely affect the local economy.

Four Article 14 directions are still in force in the North East region. The current situation on these is:

Derwent West Bank, (A1 Gateshead)—Highways Agency responded to comments by developers consultants in March 2005. The Highways Agency is still awaiting reply from the developers.

A1 Fifth Avenue Business Park (A1 Gateshead)—Highways Agency have agreement reached with the developer on way forward, outcome depends on further negotiations between the planning authority and the developer on work on local roads.

Corus Pipe Mill (A19 Stockton-on-Tees)—Stockton borough council (planning authority) have expressed appreciation for the Highways Agency's positive and pro-active approach in brokering a solution. They are awaiting final agreement on the improvement measures.

Rainton Business Park (A1 and A19 Sunderland)—Highways Agency awaiting a revised Transport Assessment.

In the last two years the Highways Agency have received 87 planning applications in Teeside and have only issued three directions of refusal.. These were for a cattery, a free standing trailer sign, and a detached dwelling.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff in (a) his Department, (b) the Highways Agency and (c) other agencies and organisations funded by his Department work on (i) road safety issues and (ii) rail-related safety issues. [57817]

The Department and its Agencies employee 18,722 staff as of 31 December 2005.

A large number of staff work in Divisions which have partial interest and/or responsibilities for Road or Rail Safety. Some where we can identify specific Road or Rail safety roles are as follows.

Of the remaining Departmental staff, a number will be working in areas that promote Road or Rail Safety in line with DfT public service agreements, but it is not possible to provide the information in the format requested as the information is not held centrally and to do so would be at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in implementing the South East Manchester Multi Modal Study in (a) Tameside metropolitan borough and (b) Stockport metropolitan borough; and if he will make a statement. [57815]

Progress made on implementation of the major and minor elements of the strategy and the implementation of some of the major schemes arising from the South East Manchester Multi Modal Study in both(a) Tameside metropolitan borough and (b) Stockport metropolitan borough is highlighted in the Greater Manchester Local Transport Plan.

I understand that further details of progress will be available shortly, as part of the SEMMMS Implementation strategy document, to be published as part of the Greater Manchester Authorities final Local Transport Plan 2 submission.

In addition, we are currently considering the scheme appraisal and bid for funding for SEMMMS New Relief Road and hope to make an announcement in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with Stagecoach Manchester on their bus strategy for South Manchester. [57820]

Stagecoach provided the Department—and other stakeholders—with details of their alternative bus strategy. Mr. Brian Souter, Chief Executive of Stagecoach Group, has also discussed this strategy at meetings with myself and with the Secretary of State. No discussions of a more detailed nature have occurred.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the (a) potential effect of the proposed Hazel Grove A6 Bypass in redirecting Manchester-bound traffic onto the M60 motorway and (b) potential consequential impact on the capacity of the M60/M67/A57 Denton interchange. [57980]

An outline assessment has been undertaken into the potential impacts of the A6 Hazel Grove Bypass and other South East Manchester Multi Modal Study road schemes on the M60 and the M60/M67/A57 Denton Interchange. I understand that the Greater Manchester local authorities are in the process of updating their transport model which will allow a more detailed appraisal of these and other impacts to be assessed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his projections are for traffic growth on trunk roads in Lancashire in each of the next 10 years. [59027]

We do not have projections specifically related to trunk roads in Lancashire. However demand for car trips to and from Lancashire is projected to increase by around 7 per cent. over the next 10 years.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Government have to increase the duty concession for biofuels after 2008. [58373]

The Chancellor considers all relevant economic, social and environmental factors when deciding taxation policy.

Any changes will be announced by the Chancellor in the context of his Budget Statement.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when HM Revenue and Customs will reply substantively to the letter from the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight dated 1 December 2005, to which an acknowledgement was sent on 7 December 2005. [59045]

The Chairman wrote to the hon. Member on 2 March 2006.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer

(1) how many Government Departments overspent in each year between 1997 and 2005; [59494]

(2) what the combined overspend of all Government Departments was in each year between 1997 and 2005; [59495]

(3) what the total budgets are for each Government Department in the 2005–06 financial year. [59497]

Final provision and outturn for departmental budgets is published in the Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis each year. Departmental plans for 2005–06 are published in Spring Supplementary Estimates.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many visits special advisers in his Department made in an official capacity (a) in the UK and (b) abroad since 2000; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost. [52675]

Since 1999 the Government have published, on an annual basis, the total costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500. Copies of the lists are available in the Library of the House. Information for the financial year 2004–05 was published on 21 July 2005, Official Report, column 158WS. The Treasury's records show that the Chancellor's and the Chief Secretary's Special Advisers made no overseas visits in 2004–05 other than in the company of Ministers, and the costs of the their overseas travel are included in the annual list of overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers. Information for the financial year 2005–06 is in the process of being collated and will be published when it is ready.

For the cost of special advisers' overseas travel for years 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04, I refer respectively to the answer given to the former hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Mr. Collins) on 25 March 2002, Official Report, column 734W, and the answers given to the hon. Member for Chichester (Mr. Tyrie) on 19 June 2002, Official Report, column 389W, 15 September 2003, Official Report, column 603W and 9 December 2004, Official Report, column 655W.

Information regarding special advisers' domestic travel could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All travel by special advisers is undertaken in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Ministerial Code" and the Civil Service Management Code".

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2006 to the hon. Member for Woking (Mr. Malins), Official Report, columns 1731–32W, on drug-related deaths, if he will break down the number of deaths which occurred in each year since 1997 by (a) adults and (b) children. [58567]

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

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 16 March 2006

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question (pursuant to the answer of 23rd January 2006 to the hon. member for Woking, Official Report, columns 1731–2W, on drug related deaths) seeking a break down of the number of deaths which occurred in each year since 1997 by(a) adults and (b) children. I am replying in her absence. (58567)

The previous answer gave figures to 2003. The most recent year for which figures are now available is 2004. The table below shows the number of deaths for which the underlying cause was drug poisoning, where any drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act were mentioned on the death certificate by age group for the years 1997 to 2004.

Deaths from drug-related poisoning involving illegal substances in (a) adults and (b) children England and Wales, 1997 to 2004^(11)(12)(13)

⁽¹¹⁾ Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (1CD-9) codes 292, 304, 305.2–305.9, E850-E858, E950.0-E950.5, E962.0 and E980.0-E980.5 for 1994 to 2000, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (1CD-10) codes F11-F16, F18- F19, X40-X44, X60-X64, X85 and Y10-Y14 from 2001 onwards.

⁽¹²⁾ Includes deaths where the underlying cause was drug-related poisoning and a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 was mentioned on the death record.

⁽¹³⁾ Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar year.

⁽¹⁴⁾ Figures for 2003 have been corrected from those previously published due to an error in the coding of drug misuse deaths for that data year. This was reported in Health Statistics Quarterly 29, which was released on 23 February 2006.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average earnings were of full-time employees in West Lancashire constituency in April of each year since 2000. [58420]

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

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 March 2006

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the average earnings were of full-time employees in West Lancashire constituency in April of each year since 2000. (58420)

Average earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for full time employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. This is the standard definition used for ASHE. The ASHE does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work.

I attach tables showing Average Gross Weekly Earnings by parliamentary constituency for the years 2000 to 2005 for Full Time Employees on Adult Rates. These statistics are also available on the National Statistics website at:

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vInk= 13101.

The ASHE, carried out in April of each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It is a one per cent sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) schemes.

Gross weekly(£) pay for full-time employee jobs by place of work⁽¹⁵⁾

⁽¹⁵⁾ Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey day-period was not affected by absence.

⁽¹⁶⁾ Includes supplementary survey data.

Guide to quality:

The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality.

The true value is likely to lie within ± twice the CV e.g. for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220.

Key:

CV }5 percent.

* = CV>5% and }10%

** = CV>10% and }20%

The median replaces the mean as the headline statistic. The weighted mean is the sum of the weighted values divided by the sum of the weights. The median is the value below which 50 per cent. of employees fall. It is preferred over the mean for earnings data as it is influenced less by extreme values and because of the skewed distribution of earnings data.

Source:

Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

Gross weekly(£) pay for full-time employee jobs by place of residence⁽¹⁷⁾

⁽¹⁷⁾ Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey day-period was not affected by absence.

⁽¹⁸⁾ Includes supplementary survey data.

Guide to quality:

The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality.

The true value is likely to lie within ± twice the CV e.g. for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220.

Key:

CV <= 5 percent.

* = CV>5% and }10%

** = CV>10% and }20%

The median replaces the mean as the headline statistic. The weighted mean is the sum of the weighted values divided by the sum of the weights. The median is the value below which 50 per cent. of employees fall. It is preferred over the mean for earnings data as it is influenced less by extreme values and because of the skewed distribution of earnings data.

Source:

Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Stroud constituency (a) under and (b) over the age of 25 years were long-term unemployed in each year since 1997; and how many people in each age group participated in the New Deal in each year. [58710]

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

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 March 2006

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment. (58710)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment for local areas from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.

However, for the Stroud parliamentary constituency, sample numbers are insufficient to provide the estimates requested.

ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). Table 1, attached, shows the annual average number of JSA claimants, aged under 25, and aged 25 and over, resident in the Stroud constituency, who were claiming for over 12 months, since 1997.

The Department for Work and Pensions compiles statistics of those participating in the New Deal. Table 2, attached, the number of individual starts and individual jobs for the New Deal for Young People and for the New Deal for 25 plus, for participants resident in the Stroud constituency since the programmes were introduced in 1998.

Table 1: JSA claimants resident in the Stroud parliamentary constituency

⁽¹⁹⁾ Computerised claims only. Data rounded to the nearest 5 for disclosure control

Source:

Jobcentre Plus Administrative system

Table 2: New Deal participants resident in the Stroud parliamentary constituency