To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department issues on the qualifications required of a bat ecologist; and if he will make a statement. (177547)

We do not hold numbers on bat ecologists but there are currently just over 800 volunteer bat workers. Volunteer bat workers who provide advice on Natural England’s behalf receive training from experienced bat specialists. The Bat Conservation Trust provides a service to Natural England in supporting these trainers. In addition they receive written guidance and instructions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government have taken to increase levels of recycling of batteries. (179566)

We are currently consulting on the transposition of the EU batteries directive. When transposed, the directive will reduce the quantity of hazardous and non-hazardous waste batteries going to landfill and increase the recovery of the materials they contain. Collection targets set by the directive for portable batteries are 25 per cent. by 2012, rising to 45 per cent. by 2016. The prohibition of incinerating or landfilling industrial and automotive batteries implies a 100 per cent. collection and recycling target for industrial and automotive batteries.

The consultation is due to close on 14 March and the UK, along with all other member states, has a deadline of 26 September this year to transpose the directive's provisions into national law.

Research and trials to provide evidence for the consultation and to investigate the best ways of implementing the batteries directive have been carried out on portable batteries. The waste and resources action programme (WRAP) is currently working in partnership with a range of local authorities and not-for-profit organisations that already run recycling collection services to pilot portable waste battery collection trials in the UK. Trials include establishing ‘drop off’ points at places such as supermarkets, as well as other methods of collection including at the kerbside.

Supported by funding from DEFRA through the business resource efficiency and waste (BREW) programme and the devolved administrations, the trials form part of a wider effort to develop cost-effective ways for the UK to meet the targets of the batteries directive.

The results of the various trials will be used to help Government identify the best mechanisms and most efficient methods of collecting batteries in line with directive targets.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many tonnes of equivalent carbon dioxide emissions have been offset by the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in each year since its creation. (176170)

The Government Carbon Offsetting Fund (GCOF) offset 120,111.42 tonnes of equivalent carbon dioxide emissions in 2006-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many plastic bags (a) his Department and (b) the Waste Resources Action Programme has purchased in the last 24 months for which figures are available; and at what cost. (176555)

The core-Department purchases in the region of 4,100 clear plastic bags per month, for both recycling and under-desk bins. This totals some 98,400 bags over 24 months, at a cost of £6,000.

WRAP’s purchases of plastic bags in the last 24 months are:

Information on the WRAP’s costs of purchase could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on steps the Government are taking to improve domestic energy efficiency. (179531)

We regularly meet ministerial colleagues to discuss domestic energy efficiency and its contribution to the climate change agenda. The Secretary of State met the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on issues including this in mid- December. Progress against our domestic climate change and energy security objectives is reviewed by Cabinet Ministers though the Economic Development (Environment and Energy) Committee, chaired by the Chancellor.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what Flood Defence Budget has been allocated to Yorkshire and the Humber for (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11. (179259)

The indicative allocation for the Yorkshire Regional Flood Defence Committee which covers Yorkshire and the north bank of the Humber estuary is shown in the following table:

Allocations are from the Environment Agency to the Regional Flood Defence Committee.

These figures do not include funding for local authorities or internal drainage boards.

The Department will be seeking promotional activity on these figures to reassure the public.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Government have spent on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in each year since 1997, broken down by main components of expenditure in each year. (179151)

A full response to this question could be made at disproportionate cost only.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what role his Department had in relation to the project for the sustainable development of Heathrow; and if he will make a statement; (179975)

Ministers and officials in DEFRA engage regularly with colleagues at the Department for Transport on matters relating to Heathrow which affect DEFRA lead policy responsibilities: notably on air quality, noise, and climate change impacts. DEFRA officials were engaged in the project for sustainable development of Heathrow modelling work in relation to air quality, and have been involved in the noise, air quality and climate change elements of the subsequent development of the public consultation on the development of Heathrow.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of Warm Front assessors' recommendations have led to work being carried out (a) in Nottinghamshire, (b) Bassetlaw and (c) England. (177742)

[holding answer 10 January 2008]: The percentage of instances where an insulation measure recommended by a Warm Front assessor leads to the work being completed is as follows.

The percentage of instances where a heating measure recommended by a Warm Front assessor leads to assistance being provided, including where this only involves an installer technical survey being completed, is as follows:

Available data do not identify figures for the proportion of instances where a recommendation for heating assistance leads to a heating measure being installed or the repair of an existing system being completed. Further analysis of the data is taking place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he has taken to prevent a conflict of interest arising from the managing agents of the Warm Front scheme owning the contractor Iguana Services Ltd. (177000)

DEFRA employ independent quality assessors who audit the performance of both Iguana and eaga plc. This ensures that Iguana’s position as a subsidiary of eaga does not adversely affect scheme delivery.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received from recipients of assistance under the Warm Front programme in relation to the performance of contractors; what steps he has taken in response; and if he will make a statement. (179972)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Daniel Kawczynski) on 14 January 2008, Official Report, column 861W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the performance of eaga and its subsidiaries in operating the Warm Front programme; and what plans he has to review the operation of (a) the programme and (b) its commercial contractors. (179973)

DEFRA monitors the performance of Warm Front as part of an ongoing monthly reporting cycle.

DEFRA also employs independent quality assessors, who provide in-depth analysis of the performance of Warm Front contractors, both as part of a regular audit cycle, and on an individual project basis where required.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he (a) informed the Permanent Secretary of the relevant Department of the donations he received as part of his campaign for the deputy leadership of the Labour party and (b) registered them with the Cabinet Office in accordance with the Ministerial Code. (179969)

In accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, a list of Ministers’ relevant interests declared to their Permanent Secretary will be published in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimates have been made of whether the proposed new charges for domestic rubbish collection are expected to increase or decrease the total tax burden on families with children. (176535)

There are no proposed new charges for domestic rubbish collection. The Government intend to allow five local authorities to pilot waste incentive schemes. Under these schemes those who make the most effort to reduce or recycle their waste would earn a rebate. For schemes which include a charging element, those throwing away the most residual waste could pay more. The impact on families with children could depend on several factors, including the design of individual schemes, the size of the household and, of course, the amount of waste each family throws away.

DEFRA has not made any estimates of how waste incentive schemes will affect families with children. For illustrative purposes, the Impact Assessment, which is available on the DEFRA website, presented a distributional analysis which gives an example of how one type of scheme, in a local authority with particular characteristics, would impact upon families of different sizes and income levels. This assesses how financial transfers might feel to different types of households, with poorer households valuing these more highly. It does not present actual financial flows, as it was primarily included to show local authorities how they might account for impacts of the distribution of financial burdens.

The actual impact on the tax burden faced by families will depend on how the scheme is set up and how well families are able to respond to the price signal provided by the scheme. The example distributional analysis in the Impact Assessment was based on a separate study showing that larger households (e.g. families with children) tend to produce more waste overall. As can be seen in the Climate Change Bill, local authorities piloting a waste incentive scheme must take account of disadvantaged groups. It would be up to local authorities to decide whether families with children (and any other group in society) should be treated differently under a waste incentive scheme and, if so, how. My Department intends to work with stakeholders to develop guidance on this issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to make proposals for regional development agency waste performance targets. (177937)

I refer the hon. Member to my answer to him on 7 January 2008, Official Report, column 69W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many local authorities applied for funding from his Department to support local wildlife facilities in each of the last five years. (179763)

Local wildlife facilities could mean any number of organisations, for example: nature reserves, wildlife parks, zoos, rescue centres, rehabilitation facilities etc. To be able to provide the information required by my hon. Friend a more specific request is required, including what type of funding is being referred to. My hon. Friend is welcome to write to me with the details and I will respond to him.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what obligations his Department and its agencies place on contractors in relation to the audit of personal data and IT equipment. (176468)

Auditing of personal data and IT equipment is not carried out by contractors in the Northern Ireland Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on English language classes for staff in the last year for which figures are available. (177434)

In 2007-08 further education funding is available for learning and development considered to be essential to a member of staff’s current post. English language would be considered under this category but no applications were submitted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what meetings (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with representatives of the company Morgan Allan Moore in the last 12 months. (179594)

Ministers and civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and advice. It is not the usual practice of Government to disclose details of such meetings.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many laboratories are licensed for animal testing in the UK. (177931)

There are currently 201 designated establishments licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many proposals were made under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to use animals in science in 2007; and how many of these proposals were accepted. (177933)

During 2007 617 project licences were applied for under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Of these 475 were granted, 136 are still outstanding and six have not been proceeded with.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2007, Official Report, columns 583-4W, on foreign workers: EU nationals, what her most recent estimate is of the number of dependants aged under 17 years residing in the UK with A8 nationals working in the UK. (169336)

The only available data relate to dependants reported to be accompanying A8 nationals when they register on the Worker Registration Scheme and are published quarterly in the Accession Monitoring Report (AMR). This report currently gives data from 1 May 2004 to 30 September 2007. The information on dependants under 17 years of age is published in table 5 of the report.

A copy of the AMR will be placed in the House Libraries.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will lower the age of eligibility for free passports to 65 years. (174596)

[holding answer 17 December 2007]: When the then Home Secretary announced the introduction of free passports on 19 May 2004, he made it clear that this was a special concession for the second world war generation, as a way of recognising all those who had contributed to the national effort during the war years. Those who qualify are British nationals born on or before 2 September 1929 and therefore were old enough by the end of the war to have made a substantial contribution to the national effort.

There are no plans to provide free passports to all those aged 65 or over. This would be considerably more expensive and could lead to an increase in passport fees for all other applicants.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2008, Official Report, column 292W, on passports: applications, how many passport interview offices were fully operational by 31 December 2007. (178986)

59 interview offices were in live operations by 31 December 2007. A further two offices have already gone live in early January with another five opening by end January 2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what meetings (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with representatives of the company Morgan Allan Moore in the last 12 months. (179593)

Ministers and civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and advice. It is not the usual practice of Government to disclose details of such meetings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had on the tendering process conditions imposed by the Welsh Assembly Government on renewable energy company investors for schemes that exceed 50 megawatts; and if he will make a statement. (179934)

I have regular discussions about all aspects of renewable energy production in Wales, which I strongly support. However, tendering is entirely a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government. I understand prospective developers are assessed against open and objective criteria. It is important that their financial, economic and technical capacity are fully assessed so that the project can be delivered for the benefit of Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what targets he has set for upgrading all single living accommodation to grade (a) 1 and (b) 2 categories under the grade for charge initiative; and when he expects these targets to be met. (179928)

The Department's targets only envisage delivering new or improved single living accommodation bed-spaces to the highest standard (grade 1). We plan to deliver some 30,000 new or improved bed-spaces by 2013.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many single living accommodation bed-spaces were upgraded to grade (a) 1 and (b) 2 categories under the grade for charge initiative in each of the last four years. (179929)

The Department has targets to deliver only grade 1 bed-spaces. For each of the last four financial years the number of bed-spaces delivered is shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many newly-acquired (a) grade 1, (b) grade 2, (c) grade 3, (d) grade 4 and (e) ungraded single living accommodation bed-spaces were added to stock in each of the last five years; and what targets he has for adding new bed-spaces to stock in each grade for charge. (179932)

The Department only targets the delivery of new or improved single living accommodation (SLA) to Grade 1 standard. Numbers of newly built or improved SLA bed-spaces delivered in each year are only available for the last four financial years and are shown in the following table.

The Department will build or improve a further 30,000 bed-spaces to grade 1 standard by 2013.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many personnel who have served in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan are recorded as having a mental health problem, broken down by condition; (177532)

The information requested is detailed in the latest version of UK Armed Forces Psychiatric Morbidity Report (January to March 2007), copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

The Defence Analytical Services Agency is currently validating and analysing the data for the second quarter of 2007 (April to June), and their report will be published shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at what locations Ministry of Defence police officers have been replaced with (a) civilian police forces and (b) private security forces since 2003. (177588)

The Ministry of Defence Police have never been replaced by a civilian police force or a private security force at any functioning Defence establishment. However, when establishments close and all MOD functions have withdrawn it is possible that private security forces are used, but this would provide a guarding not policing service.

To ask the Prime Minister whether he (a) informed the Permanent Secretary at the Treasury of the donations he received as part of his campaign for the Leadership of the Labour Party and (b) registered them with the Cabinet Office in accordance with the Ministerial Code. (179967)

In accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, a list of Ministers’ relevant interests declared to their permanent secretary will be published in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether personal data for which his Department is responsible are (a) stored and (b) processed overseas; and if he will make a statement. (176014)

The Scotland Office does not retain personal data.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what obligations his Department places on contractors in relation to the audit of personal data and IT equipment. (176469)

The Scotland Office does not retain personal data and is an integral part of the Scottish Executive's IT system who undertake a rolling audit of IT equipment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what audits his Department carried out in relation to personal data and IT equipment in each of the last 10 years. (176488)

The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. The office does not retain personal data and is an integral part of the Scottish Executive’s IT system who undertake a rolling audit of IT equipment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what products featuring departmental or Government branding were procured by his Department in each of the last five years. (179784)

Business cards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many posters or displays there are in the offices of his Department displaying the names and photographs of Ministers; and what the cost has been of producing such posters or displays in the last five years. (179850)

The Scotland Office does not have any such posters or displays in its offices, except the gallery of previous Secretaries of State that is displayed in Dover House. The Office has added photographs to this gallery in the last five years but separate records of the costs involved are not maintained.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2008, Official Report, column 350W, on departmental redundancies, how many staff in the Scotland Office are on loan from each Government Department. (180459)

The figures at 31 March 2007 were:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what meetings he has had with trade union officials since 1 July 2007; on what dates; and with which trade unions. (179864)

Ministers meet many people as part of the process of policy development. It is not normal practice to disclose details of such meetings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many regularly funded organisations are supported by Arts Council England. (179702)

In 2007-08 Arts Council England supported 990 regularly funded organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which Arts Council England regularly funded organisations were informed in December 2007 that their funding was to be reduced. (179448)

[holding answer 16 January 2008]: Arts Council England operates at arm’s length from the Government and decisions about which arts organisations to fund are entirely for them. They have said the following in response to requests to see the names of the organisations listed in their proposals:

“Our proposals for non-renewal of funding cannot be made available until our National and Regional Councils make final decisions. This information is considered confidential and commercially sensitive during the response period. This is especially so in the case of a recommendation that might be overturned by the National Council or a Regional Council. Regularly funded organisations who have a right to respond to our recommendation, should be able to do so freely without fear that our intention to reduce or stop their funding is potentially unnecessarily, and without their consent, released into the public domain. A full announcement will be made at the beginning of February.”

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criteria Arts Council England uses when assessing the artistic quality of the work of their regularly funded organisations. (179700)

Arts Council England operates at arm’s length from the Government and decisions about which arts organisations to fund are entirely for them.

In October 2006 Arts Council England published guidance on how it assesses artistic quality. A copy of the guidelines will be placed in the Library of the House.

This is also available on Arts Council England’s website at:

http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/publications/information_detail.php?rid=0&sid=&browse=recent&id=92

Arts Council England is reviewing these guidelines this year following the publication of the McMaster Review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Government have taken to support the creative industries in the West Midlands since 1997. (179149)

[holding answer 15 January 2008]: My Department has sought to co-ordinate action across government in support of the creative industries. In November 2005, we established the Creative Economy Programme which brought together DCMS, DTI (as it then was), industry representatives and Government bodies such as the Arts Council, the UK Film Council and the Design Council. We will shortly launch a strategy document for the creative industries which will set out the challenges that Government and industry will need to address in order to sustain and grow this vitally important sector of the economy.

Key agencies in the West Midlands with responsibility for growing the creative industries, including the Regional Development Agency Advantage West Midlands, Culture West Midlands, Business Link, the Learning and Skills Council, Arts Council England, Screen West Midlands and Skillset, have come together to form the Creative Industries Strategy Group. This group is developing a regional “Creative Industries Manifesto”, which will help raise the profile of the sector nationally and internationally; it will also work to bring key initiatives to the region, such as national centres of excellence or major events.

In addition, since 1997, funding from the European Regional Development Fund has supported a number of projects, including business support and venture capital projects, related to the development of the creative industries in the region. Projects in the 2000-06 Objective 2 Programme have included the establishment of the Advantage Creative Fund (£1.6 million), Business Support for Creative Industries in Birmingham (£2.5 million) and the West Midlands Media Production Fund (£3.7 million).

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what procedures are in place to ensure that licence fee moneys are not used to subsidise BBC America (a) directly and (b) indirectly; and if he will make a statement. (178433)

[holding answer 15 January 2008]: Under the terms of its charter and agreement, the BBC is prohibited from using licence fee revenue to fund any commercial service or any service aimed primarily at users outside the UK. The BBC’s Fair Trading Guidelines, available on the BBC website, set out the BBC’s approach to complying with its obligations to keep licence fee revenue separate from its commercial operations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which activities his Department define as sports; and when the list of activities included within his Department’s definition of sport was last revised. (179502)

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to the Local Government Association on 23 December 2007 confirming that the definition of sport in the new performance measurement framework will remain largely unchanged from the definition currently used for the DCMS public service agreement on moderate intensity sport and for the Comprehensive Performance Assessment. A copy of this letter has been placed in the House Library.

The definition of sport will continue to measure sport and active recreation such as recreational walking and cycling. From April 2008 the definition of sport will also include measurement of some lighter intensity sports and physical activities such as yoga, bowls and pilates for those aged 65 or over; as these activities place a degree of physical demand on that age group.

This broad definition supports the Government’s aim of getting 2 million more people more active by 2012.

Sport England are developing a new strategy on how they will build a world-class community sport infrastructure. As part of this work Sport England will review which sports fall within their funding remit. Her Majesty’s Treasury is leading on a cross-Government physical activity strategy for all, which will look at policy, funding and delivery of wider physical activity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to regulate greyhound racing; and if he will make a statement. (177814)

The Government welcome the recent report by Lord Donoughue into greyhound racing, and we endorse the view that the industry needs to introduce significant reform if it is going to meet the welfare standards expected in the 21st century. While any regulation would be a matter for my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Department for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, we agree with the recommendation in the report that the industry must aim to be self-regulated. I hope that everyone involved in administrating, promoting, funding and providing gambling facilities for the sport will work together to develop a collective response to Lord Donoughue's recommendations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the availability of funding to swimming clubs in Greater London. (178080)

Swimming clubs in London are eligible to apply for lottery funding from Sport England's London region, which has £29 million for investment in community projects in 2004-09, of which approximately £15 million remains to be allocated.

Swimming is also part of the Exchequer-funded community club development programme (CCDP), which provides investment in equipment and facilities in clubs. Six clubs in London have benefited from the CCDP programme.

Sport England has also awarded £247,500 of lottery funding to the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) between 2007 and 2010 to fund three coaches to raise the standard and quality of coaching in identified swimming clubs in London. A fund of £750,000 (comprising £375,000 from Sport England and £375,000 from the Learning Skills Council) has been established for coach qualification bursaries in 2007-09. Swimming coaches linked to clubs in London have the opportunity to apply for grants from this fund to support their personal professional development.

Sport England has also awarded the ASA £8.8 million over four years to support the delivery of its 2005-09 national strategic plan. This enables it to allocate resources to its London regional development staff whose role is to deliver development programmes (including the PE and School Club Links programme) and lever further investment into swimming from the public, private, voluntary and charitable sectors, which will benefit clubs. The ASA runs workshops to update clubs on funding opportunities, and publishes a quarterly newsletter for clubs with details of potential avenues for club funding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate his Department has made of the percentage of households which (a) have no television licence, (b) do not have a television and (c) have a television but are unlicensed. (178422)

This is a matter for the BBC. I have, therefore, asked the BBC’s Head of Revenue Management to consider the question raised by my hon. Friend and to write to her direct. Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what research his Department has undertaken on levels of debt of looked-after children on graduation from university. (179570)

During the consultation on our Green Paper “Care Matters: Transforming the Lives of Children and Young People in Care” children and young people told us that they faced financial barriers to entering higher education, including a belief that they will not be able to meet the additional costs. This is supported by research evidence from the Institute of Education and the Frank Buttle Trust which showed that young people who have been looked after typically have higher levels of debt on graduation than their peers and identified significant variations in the level of financial support offered by different local authorities.

The consultation confirmed the support for our proposal to introduce a £2,000 higher education bursary for care leavers to ensure that they get a minimum level of financial support. Eighty three per cent. of young people at the “Care Matters” consultation events thought the bursary was a good idea and 73 per cent. thought it would encourage more young people who were looked after to go on to higher education.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people in his Department are responsible for liaising with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. (178123)

Following the Machinery of Government changes last year, three separate Departments were established with clear demarcation of responsibility. However, we have sought to maintain effective communication links across the three new Departments to minimise disruption to our customers. A range of officials in DCSF are in regular discussion with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills across a number of issues, covering both policy and the provision of corporate services. The issues being discussed and number of people involved varies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what efficiency savings his Department was required to make as part of its spending review 2004 (SR04) targets; what efficiency projects have been undertaken in the Department in pursuit of those targets; on what date each was initiated; and how much each was predicted to contribute to the SR04 target. (163193)

The Department is jointly committed with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), to the efficiency target set originally for the Department for Education and Skills (DFES).

The DFES target is 2.5 per cent. a year over the spending review 2004 period. This means being able to demonstrate cumulative gains against our baseline of £1.45 billion in 2005-06, £2.9 billion in 2006-07 and £4.35 billion in 2007-08.

Details of the specific initiatives which contribute to our Gershon efficiency target are set out in our Efficiency Technical Note, which is available on the Department’s website:

www.dcsf.gov.uk

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer of 19 July 2007, Official Report, column 531W, on Departments: cost effectiveness, what the target is for efficiency savings to be divided between the two newly created Departments. (163386)

Machinery of Government changes within the Department have resulted in the Department for Education and Skills (DFES) target being split between the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).

Treasury are keen that there is a shared responsibility for the overall target and that this is agreed formally. Both DCSF and DIUS permanent secretaries have set out their continued commitment to the overall target. However, it is important for governance and accountability purposes that each Department knows which initiatives within the programme it is responsible for. We have calculated an indicative split of the Gershon Targets and progress towards them is outlined in the autumn performance reports for each Department. The Department published its autumn performance reports in December 2007, which are available on our website:

www.dcsf.gov.uk

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether any of his Department's special advisers have declared a conflict of interest. (163194)

Special advisers are appointed under the terms and conditions set out in the Model Contract for Special Advisers. Copies of the Model Contract are available in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what meetings he had with executives of the OCR exam board in each of the last three months; and what was discussed at such meetings. (178572)

My right hon. Friend has not had any meetings with the executives of the OCR exam board in the last three months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how frequently he meets executives of the OCR exam board. (178573)

My right hon. Friend has not met the executives of the OCR exam board, and as of 14 January 2008 no meetings with the board are scheduled.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what departmental investigations have taken place since 1 January 2007 into the management of his Department’s contracts with private sector agencies; and if he will make a statement. (177830)

The Department carries out a programme of regular risk based audit assessments across the range of its business. This includes reviews of the quality of contract management.

Investigations may be carried out into issues where there appears to be evidence of possible malpractice or impropriety. Since 1 January 2007, the Department has undertaken two formal investigations that have concerned or included consideration of issues relating to the management of contracts with private sector organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families for which regulators and inspectorates his Department has had responsibility in each year since 1997; what the budget was of each such body in each year; and what the cost to the public purse was of any restructuring of each such body in each year. (175315)

The following table sets out the annual budget for each of the financial years from 1998-99 to 2006-07 for each of the regulatory and inspectorate bodies that were the responsibility of the former Department for Education and Skills (2001-02 to 2006-07) and the former Department for Education and Employment (1998-99 to 2000-01). Final figures are not currently available for 2007-08 for the Department for Children, Schools and Families and information is not readily accessible prior to 1998-99.

The Department does not hold specific financial information in relation to the cost of any restructuring that these bodies may have undertaken. This information could be gathered from the bodies themselves only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many school governing bodies and school sport associations work with competition managers. (179061)

Competition managers work with schools, national governing bodies of sport and school sport associations within each county area to increase inter-school sport competition. The national school sport competition framework has been developed in partnership with some 20 national governing bodies of sport.

School sport partnerships now include all maintained schools in England. There are currently 90 competition managers in post, each working across two school sport partnerships. On average, there are 48 schools per partnership. This means that competition managers are currently working with around 7,200 primary schools and 1,440 secondary schools. The appointment of a total of 226 competition managers by January 2009 will ensure that all maintained schools in England will be included in this framework.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils have been statemented in schools in each London borough in each of the last five years. (179289)

The information requested is given in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to de-trunk the A63. (179697)

The Highways Agency published Draft Statutory Orders to de-trunk the A63/A19 route, between the Boot and Shoe roundabout at Micklefield and Loftsome Bridge, on 28 June 2007. A number of objections have been received to the proposal from local councils, including North Yorkshire county council and Leeds city council. Objections have also been received from the hon. Member for Selby (Mr. Grogan) and some local residents. The Highways Agency aims to resolve the objections to enable de-trunking in 2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport public consultation has taken account of the Putting noise on the map airport noise maps information published on 18th December 2007 by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs relating to Heathrow airport; and if she will make a statement. (176961)

[holding answer 7 January 2008]: Paragraphs 51-54 of Annex E of the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport Consultation document drew attention to the requirements of the European Environmental Noise Directive (END) 2002/49 EC for major airports to produce strategic noise maps. Following preparations of the noise maps, airports will have to produce action plans setting out measures to mitigate aircraft noise.

However the consultation document noted that, given the difference in parameters, it was not possible to draw any meaningful conclusions between the END Lden maps and the annual summer Leq contours used by the Department. The environmental commitment given in the Future of Air Transport White Paper undertook not to increase the size of the area significantly affected by noise as measured by the annual departmental 57dBA Leq noise contour.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people are employed by the British Railways Board (Residuary); and what that body’s budget was in 2006-07. (178138)

Full details of BRB (Residuary) Ltd.’s budget and results for 2006-07 are available in the annual report and accounts for the company which can be found on their website at www.brbr.gov.uk

This shows that the company made a statutory profit before tax of £9.4 million in 2006-07 and employed 27 people on a full-time equivalent basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will publish the Review of Funding for the Commissioners of Irish Lights in hard copy and electronically. (179005)

I refer the hon. Member to my reply given on 14 January 2008, Official Report, column 843W. The report of the Irish Lights Study will be published in hard copy and in electronic format.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Republic of Ireland (a) have contributed to the funding of the Commissioners of Irish Lights in the last five years, (b) will contribute to the funding of the Commissioners of Irish Lights for 2007-08 and (c) is recommended to contribute towards the funding of the Commissioners of Irish Lights by the recent review of such funding. (179006)

The information requested is set out as follows.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the status of Daedalus airfield at Lee-on-Solent. (179830)

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency and its parent Department, the Department for Transport have now reviewed the status of Daedalus airfield and are of the view that it is not a Government aerodrome, within the meaning of the Air Navigation Order 2005. It is a civilian (unlicensed) aerodrome in the occupation of the Hampshire Police Authority (HPA).

The HPA occupies the site as lessee and under the terms of its lease is responsible for the operational management of the aerodrome, including matters of safety and airfield access.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was of redundancies in her Department in the 12 months preceding (a) 30 June 2004, (b) 30 June 2005 and (c) 30 June 2006. (175339)

The Department for Transport and its agencies had no compulsory or voluntary redundancies between 2004 and 2006, but made headcount reductions by undertaking voluntary staff exit schemes, including early retirements. The cost across the seven agencies and the central Department based on financial accounting years were:

The Department is only able to provide derails of the voluntary exit schemes in the time spans requested at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment her Department has made of the contribution to (a) carbon dioxide emissions and (b) congestion reduction targets of permitting the use of two-wheeled, self-balancing electric transportation devices on the public highway; what plans she has to bring forward measures to allow the use of such devices on such highways; and if she will meet representations of manufacturers of such devices to discuss their merits. (179961)

The Department for Transport has made no assessment of the contribution to carbon dioxide emission or congestion reduction targets of permitting the use of two-wheeled, self-balancing electric transportation devices. However, if, as I understand, their use is likely to be as an alternative to walking or cycling then their potential in terms of greenhouse gas and local pollution reduction would appear to be at best negligible.

There have been a number of meetings, demonstrations and exchanges of correspondence, both at ministerial and official level, with manufacturer representatives. There are currently no plans for further meetings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage changes there were in the movement of freight within the United Kingdom by (a) road, (b) rail, (c) water and (d) pipeline in each year since 2001. (178145)

The available information on domestic freight by mode for Great Britain is published in Transport Statistics in Great Britain Table 4.1. The web link for this table is:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/freight/tsgbchapter4datatables.xls.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the annual movement of freight by road, in billion tonne kilometres, was in each year since 1997. (178133)

Annual figures for the level of road freight activity by GB-registered goods vehicles in Great Britain (measured in billion tonne kilometres), excluding foreign vehicle activity, are shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether Heathrow Airport has exceeded the number of flights operating during the night quota period in each season since winter 2006-07; (179291)

Heathrow airport has operated consistently within the Government’s night flight regime requirements. This regime specifies seasonal maxima covering both aircraft movements and noise quota amounts. The maxima for the seasons from winter 2006-07 to date are as follows:

The night restrictions regime has recognised for a number of years that there will be occasions when the airport can be affected by extraordinary circumstances which cannot be anticipated (for example aircraft delays caused by security, severe weather or ATC situations). Accordingly, in such circumstances, there is provision under the regime that flights may be dispensed i.e. will not count against the limits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which individuals and organisations have been sent a copy of the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation document; and if she will make a statement. (179450)

[holding answer 16 January 2008]: On the launch of the ‘Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport’ consultation we sent out 766 consultation documents to a wide range of organisations, as set out in Annex G of the consultation document. The full list of these organisations has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

We also sent out over 217,000 Summary Documents to residents around the airport, which recommends that they request the full Consultation Document to inform their response. To date we have sent over 900 copies of the consultation document to a range of different organisations, interests and members of the public who have requested a copy. Our obligations under data protection legislation prevent us from releasing the names of individuals concerned. The consultation document is available at the consultation exhibitions which we are running in the communities around the airport. To date, 470 copies of the Consultation Document have been given out at the exhibitions. Seven of these exhibitions had taken place by 15 January, with five remaining.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate her Department has made of nitrogen dioxide emissions at Heathrow airport in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. (179437)

[holding answer 16 January 2008]: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave on 7 January 2008, Official Report, column 4W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Henley (Mr. Johnson)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment was made as part of the Project for the Sustainable Development of Heathrow of the carbon dioxide emissions in relation to option (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3 from the additional passenger traffic travelling to and from Heathrow under each option; and if she will make a statement. (179963)

The carbon dioxide emissions from additional passengers travelling by air under options one, two, and three in the “Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport” consultation are set out in annex B of the consultation document, available at:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/open/heathrowconsultation/consultationdocument/

Carbon dioxide emissions from additional surface access trips to Heathrow would depend on the detail of the surface access strategy accompanying any extra capacity. This would need to be developed by the airport operator as part of a comprehensive transport assessment prior to a planning application.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many unadopted roads in the UK Network Rail owns. (179709)

This is an operational matter for Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail’s Chief Executive at the following address for a response to his question.

Iain Coucher

Chief Executive

Network Rail

40 Melton Street

London NW1 2EE

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what obligations are placed on local parking enforcement authorities to make refunds when an adjudicator has ruled a particular parking zone or bay illegal or not fully in compliance with legislation. (179698)

An adjudicator who allows an appeal against a penalty charge may direct an authority to refund any money already paid in respect of the penalty charge, sale, or release of the vehicle. The authority must comply with such a direction without delay. Adjudicators can only make such directions in relation to individual appeal cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the profit margins achieved by rolling stock companies and the contingent effect upon the rail network. (179138)

[holding answer 15 January 2008]: This is a matter which is being considered as part of the Competition Commission’s investigation into the leasing of rolling stock to passenger rail operators.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reasons were for the overrunning of engineering works affecting train services between Liverpool Street and Essex over the Christmas and New Year period; and if she will make a statement. (179569)

The independent Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has launched an investigation into Network Rail’s management of engineering projects including the causes of the major engineering over-run at Liverpool Street over Christmas and the new year. The ORR expects to publish its findings by 29 February 2008. We will not seek to pre-empt the ORR’s investigation by speculating on causes before its report is issued.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the reasons are for the disruption of the Liverpool Street to Chelmsford rail line experienced since 31 December 2007; what steps are being taken to improve the quality of service for commuters on that line; and if she will make a statement; (179431)

[holding answer 16 January 2008]: The independent Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has launched an investigation into Network Rail’s management of engineering projects including the causes of the major engineering over-runs at Liverpool Street over Christmas and the new year. The ORR expects to publish its findings by 29 February 2008. We will not seek to pre-empt the ORR’s investigation by speculating on causes before its report is issued.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will estimate the costs of running a Sunday rail service (a) overall and (b) for each train operating company (i) on Christmas day and (ii) on Boxing day. (177334)

We have no plans to do so. Whether or not to run services on Christmas day and Boxing day is primarily a matter for the commercial judgment of Network Rail and train operators who are best placed to assess the potential costs and revenue. This has, though, to be balanced against the need to carry out major infrastructure upgrades at times when trains are not running.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of levels of overcrowding (a) at peak times, (b) at off-peak times and (c) on Saturdays at each station on the Portsmouth to Cardiff via Salisbury rail route in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. (179505)

The Department for Transport has made no estimate of the levels of crowding at each station on the Portsmouth to Cardiff rail route.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reasons are for the time taken to complete the works on Upper Gungate Bridge in Tamworth constituency by Network Rail. (179768)