To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department’s (a) chart of accounts and (b) resource account codes and usage descriptions for the 2008-09 financial year. (210992)

The chart of accounts for 2008-09 reflects the structure of the Scotland Office and Office of the Advocate-General for the year and will not necessarily reflect the 2007-08 structure or that for future years. The chart shows the relationship between parent codes (used for preparing resource accounts) and children codes (used for more detailed management purposes). Each code has a brief description that describes its use. A copy of the chart has been placed in the House Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2008, Official Report, columns 13-14W, on official hospitality, how many individuals and organisations attended each event listed. (210924)

The Scotland Office does not have records of the number of individuals or organisations who have attended past events.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many times he has met (a) the First Minister of Scotland, (b) the Secretary of State for Wales, (c) the Secretary of State for Justice and (d) the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to discuss the operation of the Joint Ministerial Committee since 16 May 2007. (210352)

The Secretary of State regularly meets with other ministerial colleagues and discusses a range of issues, he has also met with the First Minister. Last month, I attended a preliminary meeting with the Secretary of State for Wales and the First Minister in advance of the forthcoming Joint Ministerial plenary meeting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department plan to attend the Beijing Olympic Games; to what purpose in each case; and what estimate he has made of the cost. (212121)

No Scotland Office Ministers or officials will be attending the games.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total cost to the public purse was of the construction and operation of the millennium dome; what assessment he has made of the value for money provided by that expenditure; and if he will make a statement. (210816)

The cost to the public purse of the construction and operation of the millennium dome was nil. The construction and operation of the dome was funded from national lottery grant from the Millennium Commission and income from ticket sales and sponsorship, not from Exchequer funding.

It is a matter of public record that the dome was completed on time, that the final cost was just 4 per cent. over budget, that it was by far the most visited paying attraction in the UK in the year 2000 and that it helped regenerate a wide area.

I am advised that English Partnerships spent £33 million of Exchequer funding on decommissioning and maintenance of the millennium dome structure between 1999 and June 2007, with the expectation that these costs will be recovered from sale proceeds from the contract for the future use of the dome and redevelopment of associated land over the life of the project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library a list of meetings he attended with hon. and right hon. Members from the (a) Democratic Unionist Party and (b) Ulster Unionist Party, including those meetings at which no civil servants were present, between 31 March 2008 and 11 June 2008; and if he will make a statement. (212124)

I have regular meetings and discussions with the Northern Ireland political parties and others on a wide range of subjects.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a list of meetings he attended with hon. and right hon. Members from the (a) Democratic Unionist Party and (b) Ulster Unionist Party, including those meetings at which no civil servants were present, between 31 March 2008 and 11 June 2008; and if he will make a statement. (212122)

I have regular meetings and discussions with ministerial colleagues and others on a wide range of subjects.

To ask the Prime Minister how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within mainland Britain by representatives of Downing street in the most recent year for which figures are available; and at what cost. (210945)

The information is not available in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the ‘Civil Service Management Code’ and the ‘Ministerial Code’.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the conferences hosted by No. 10 Downing street in each of the last two years; and what the cost was of each conference. (211681)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Cleethorpes (Shona McIsaac) on 25 July 2007, Official Report, column 1107-1110W.

Information on Official and Charity receptions for 2007-08 will be published in the usual way following the end of the financial year.

To ask the Prime Minister how many films have been produced in (a) video, (b) DVD and (c) other digital formats by Downing street in the last 24 months; and what the title was of each film. (210893)

Films produced by my Office are available on the Downing street YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/DowningSt.

To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 1 May 2008, Official Report, column 624W, on departmental manpower, (1) if he will break down by pay grade members of staff listed; (211875)

I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 1 May 2008, Official Report, column 624W.

To ask the Prime Minister how many Downing street identity cards or departmental passes have been reported lost or stolen in the last 24 months. (210890)

It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on security matters.

To ask the Prime Minister whether Downing street has a dress code for staff. (210813)

Staff are expected to abide by the Civil Service Code; it does not include a formal dress code.

To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to visit Henley-on-Thames. (210066)

A list of my UK visits will be published in the usual way following the end of the financial year.

To ask the Prime Minister how many copies of the Morning Star publication his Office procures on subscription each week; and at what cost. (210932)

I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Watson) on 3 June, Official Report, column 839W.

To ask the Prime Minister (1) which official residences are unoccupied; and what the annual cost of maintenance is of each residence; (211777)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) and the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 17 October 2007, Official Report, column 1135W.

Expenditure on official residences is a matter for the relevant Department.

To ask the Prime Minister (1) how many officials from No. 10 Downing street plan to attend the Beijing Olympic Games; to what purpose in each case; and what estimate he has made of the cost; (212126)

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave at my monthly press conference on 1 April 2008. A transcript is available on the No. 10 website:

http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page15167.asp

and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Since 1999, the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. Copies of these lists are available in the Library of the House. Information on the number of officials accompanying Ministers on overseas visits is included in the list. All Ministers’ travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel set out in chapter 10 of the “Ministerial Code”, and the accompanying guidance document, “Travel by Ministers”. Information for 2008-09 will be published in the normal way.

To ask the Prime Minister (1) what discussions he has had with his Irish counterpart following the result of the referendum in the Republic of Ireland on the Lisbon treaty; and if he will make a statement; (212097)

I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (David Miliband) on 16 June 2008, Official Report, column 704, and my answers at Prime Minister’s questions today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he holds on the number of executions which took place internationally in 2007, broken down by (a) country and (b) sex; and if he will make a statement. (211266)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not hold figures on executions that have taken place around the world. Amnesty International publishes information on the minimum number of executions by country. These are available online at:

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ACT50/001/ 2008/en/b43a1e5a-ffea-11dc-b092-bdb020617d3d/act500012008eng.html.

The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances. We have demonstrated our opposition to capital punishment by raising the issue of the death penalty with third countries and playing a key role in the successful adoption of a resolution calling for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty at the UN General Assembly in 2007.

Further details of the FCO’s work on the death penalty can be found in our 2007 Human Rights annual report at:

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/fco-in-action/conflict/human-rights/human-rights-your-say.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) EU partners and (b) the European Commission on the CAP common agricultural policy reform health check announced on 20 May 2008. (208816)

[holding answer 5 June 2008]: My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and I, as well as officials at the UK Representation in Brussels and across our European network, are in regular contact with EU partners and the European Commission on a full range of issues.

The Government's position on the common agricultural policy (CAP) health check is well established. We welcomed the publication of the health check proposals as a further step in the process of reforming the CAP. We are seeking an ambitious outcome that further cuts the trade distorting nature of the CAP, which has contributed to high food prices. We want reduced regulatory burdens to give farmers greater control over their business decisions and redirect more CAP spending away from direct farm payments towards delivery of targeted public benefits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what training courses were (a) available to and (b) taken up by civil servants in his Department in the last 12 months. (210577)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office offers a broad range of training opportunities for staff including courses on professional skills for Government, leadership, management and diversity as well as language and functional training. I will write to the hon. Member with a detailed list and place a copy in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many facilities for video conferencing his Department has; how much it cost to install them; how much it cost to (a) run and (b) maintain them in the last year for which figures are available; how many times the facilities have been used (i) since installation and (ii) in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. (209920)

There are approximately 160 video conference sets deployed in Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) premises in the UK and around the world, with a further 18 planned for installation during the next few months. The most recent project delivered 76 sets at a total cost of £2.13 million, or approximately £28,000 each, including purchase, freight and installation.

The sets are connected to the FCO's own telecommunications system and incur no specific additional transmission charge. Hitherto, the cost of maintenance has been subsumed within the FCO's annual telephony support charge and is not separately identifiable. The support arrangement for the future is being negotiated at the moment. Until this is agreed a precise figure cannot be given, but is expected to be less than 10 per cent. of the initial cost per annum.

Prior to September 2007, the software necessary to monitor usage was not available to the FCO. The figures recorded since then, for the recently installed sets, are given in the following table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2008, Official Report, column 2568W, on the Fair Trade initiative, how much his Department spent on refreshments for official departmental meetings and engagements in each of the last three financial years; and what percentage of this expenditure was on Fair Trade products. (211568)

Expenditure on refreshments can be identified only by examining individual transactions in the UK and at overseas posts for the periods concerned. The information requested is not held centrally and could therefore be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on the case of Mr. Wissam Abuajwa of Gaza; and what steps he is taking to enable Mr. Abuajwa to take up his place to study in the UK. (210734)

The UK is concerned that students due to study in the UK have been unable to obtain permission to leave Gaza. We have raised the issue with the Israeli authorities on a number of occasions and will continue to do so.

As this issue also affects our European partners, we lobby Israel jointly—through the European Commission —on all such individual cases. Wissam Abuajwa's case is one of those we are collectively raising with the Israeli authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has made any representations to the government of Iran on the detention of Dr Frood Fouladvand. (211158)

We are aware of reports that Dr. Frood Fouladvand, an Iranian national resident in the UK, has been detained in Iran. On 31 May our ambassador in Tehran sought clarification of this matter in a meeting with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Our embassy in Tehran followed this up with a Note Verbale on 1 June. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Political Director also raised Dr. Fouladvand’s case in a meeting with the Iranian ambassador on 4 June. We will continue to follow this issue closely.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which representations he plans to make to the EU following plans to de-proscribe the People’s Mujahadeen Organisation of Iran. (211989)

We have informed EU partners of the steps my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is taking to de-proscribe the People’s Mujahedeen Organisation of Iran (PMOI) following the judgment by the Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission and the Court of Appeal.

We are in discussion with EU partners about the implications of the de-proscription of the PMOI in the UK for the listing of the PMOI under EU Common Position 931.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Government contracts with British and Iraqi contractors comply with British and international law and are publicly accountable and transparent; and if he will make a statement. (211189)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is not able to comment on contracts with British and Iraqi contractors held by other Government Departments.

All FCO contracts are subject to a rigorous selection process so that we obtain best value for money. Any company engaged by the FCO needs to pass through a stringent and transparent procurement process in line with public procurement guidelines and best practice. The same rigorous process is followed in the contract management and performance monitoring of these contracts, through a combination of local in-country management and UK-based support.

Contracts awarded for FCO estate works projects in Iraq are based on standard Government forms of contract which are subject to English law and jurisdiction. In general, these act in harmony with international laws to produce a code of conduct which binds contractors, both explicitly and implicitly, to the code during execution of the contract agreements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of those employed by his Department, other than those engaged locally, hold language qualifications in (a) Arabic, (b) Farsi, (c) Dari or Pashto, (d) Mandarin, (e) Swahili and (f) Japanese. (209382)

The following table shows the total number of Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff employed as of June 2008 that have a qualification in the languages specified which is recorded on the FCO management information system. Staff will have varying degrees of fluency in these languages:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2008, Official Report, column 3W, on nuclear disarmament, if he will place in the Library a copy of the research undertaken on verification of multilateral nuclear disarmament by AWE the Atomic Weapons Establishment in partnership with Norway and Vertic; and what the cost was of the contract with the International Institute for Strategic Studies to which reference is made. (211941)

The Atomic Weapons Establishment reported to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee in May on the progress of their work to date and the future direction of their studies. I will place a copy of this report in the Library of the House.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provided £10,000 last financial year to support the study by the International Institute for Strategic Studies through a technical workshop. We are also prepared to offer funding for a launch event and discussion in Geneva in September.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made recent representations to the Government of Pakistan on the use of blasphemy laws against religious minorities; and if he will make a statement. (211250)

At the UN Human Rights Council in May, the UK asked about measures to safeguard the rights of minorities in Pakistan. In reply, the Pakistani delegation reaffirmed their commitment to introduce checks to prevent abuse of the blasphemy law.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the detention of (a) Filep Karma, (b) Yusak Pakage and (c) other political prisoners in West Papua; what steps he has taken as a result of those reports; and if he will make a statement. (210721)

We are aware of the detention of Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage. The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Dr. Manfred Novak’s report, following his visit to Indonesia in 2007, includes evidence from Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage on their detention. Officials from our embassy in Jakarta have previously raised their detention with the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Their defence lawyer has told embassy officials that prison conditions were adequate and the two men had been treated reasonably.

Embassy officials continue to follow closely the cases of those convicted of flag-raising and other political activities in Papua. We have urged the Government of Indonesia to uphold the rights guaranteed through the International Conventions on Civil and Political Rights and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, ratified by Indonesia in September 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Irish counterpart since the result of the referendum in the Republic of Ireland on the Lisbon treaty; and if he will make a statement. (212095)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has been in close contact with his Irish counterpart since the result of the referendum and spoke with him in the margins of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council in Luxembourg on 16 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he (a) has had and (b) plans to have with the (i) President of the European Commission and (ii) other members of the European Commission following the result of the referendum in the Republic of Ireland on the Lisbon treaty; and if he will make a statement. (212096)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made a statement to the House on 16 June on the result of the referendum in Ireland on the Lisbon treaty. The statement followed discussions with his counterparts at the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council in Luxembourg on the same day.

There will be a meeting of the European Council from!9-20 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with the Indonesian Government to ascertain the status of Colonel Burhanuddin Siagian following his indictment on 3 February 2003 by the United Nations Special Panel for Serious Crimes in Dili, East Timor, for crimes against humanity. (210715)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has no plans to hold discussions with the Indonesian Government on the status of Indonesian Colonel Burhanuddin Siagian. We believe that it is for the Indonesian and East Timorese Governments to pursue the indictment by the UN Special Panel for Serious Crimes.

The UK has consistently expressed concern to both the Indonesian and East Timorese Governments about impunity for those responsible for human rights abuses in East Timor. These issues are pursued through their bilateral Commission for Truth and Friendship. We have encouraged both Governments to make the Commission for Truth and Friendship a process that enjoys the confidence of the victims and the international community.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what report his Department has received of forced labour in Uzbekistan; and what representations his Department has made to Uzbek authorities on this matter. (211892)

The UK remains seriously concerned about allegations of the use of forced child labour in the cotton sector in Uzbekistan. The UK has raised its concerns through the EU and has discussed the issue with the Uzbek government. Most recently, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials raised concerns with the Uzbek Government during a visit to Tashkent in May 2008. This followed a meeting earlier this year between our ambassador in Tashkent and the Uzbek Minister for Foreign Economic Relations, which focused on cotton and child labour issues. We have also raised child labour and cotton issues with the local UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) representative. The UK supports calls from UNICEF and the International Labour Organisation for a “participatory assessment” involving the International Cotton Association and a number of embassies in Tashkent, which would be open to the media.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the level of demand for the services provided by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental bodies to be provided in the Welsh language; and if he will make a statement. (210544)

While the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not have a unified Welsh language policy, it does have a general language policy which ensures that FCO publications and communications enter into the spirit of the Welsh Language Act 1993.

The FCO has published a number of documents over the past few years in Welsh. These include an explanatory handbook on the EU, a booklet on foreign policy and flyers describing the FCO's activities during outreach events in Wales. A Welsh language version of the Consular Guide is available electronically on the FCO website alongside several other language versions.

On 10 July 2007 my hon. Friend the Minister for Europe (Mr. Jim Murphy) wrote to my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Wales Office, (Huw Irranca-Davies), to explain that while the FCO does recognise the importance of the Welsh language we do not have the resources to ensure that any changes to FCO Travel Advice, which is updated regularly, would appear simultaneously in different languages.

The FCO has access to translation services and can deal with correspondence in Welsh. Our Ministerial Correspondence Unit last received correspondence in Welsh in 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to Zimbabwean officials on the arrest of leaders of the Movement for Democratic Change; and if he will make a statement. (211193)

We have told the government of Zimbabwe we strongly condemn the ongoing violence and intimidation against all Zimbabweans. Following the recent arrest of Morgan Tsvangirai and other opposition leaders, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made a statement calling for their immediate release. We continue to stress that all candidates and supporters should be allowed to participate safely and fully in the electoral process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2008, Official Report, column 343W on biofuels, how much of the £720,000 spent on research and development into biogas production has been spent in Wales. (210913)

DEFRA only provides grants for projects in England. Any funding spent in Wales is a devolved matter and for the Welsh Assembly Government to decide upon.

All of the waste and resources action programme's (WRAP) research and development into biogas production has been based in England. However, the findings of WRAP'S research are pertinent to the whole of the UK and have been disseminated in Wales.

WRAP Wales are supporting operational anaerobic digestion (AD) projects in Wales (through Welsh Assembly Government-funded capital competitions), and working closely with the AD Centre of Excellence at the university of Glamorgan, to ensure that emerging best practice is incorporated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consultations his Department (a) has held and (b) plans to hold on the definition of zero carbon. (211641)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 4 June 2008, Official Report, column 981W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discount rate was used (a) to calculate net present value of costs and benefits of the Climate Change Bill in the final impact assessment and (b) to calculate costs and benefits of mitigating climate change in the Economics of Climate Change by Professor Stern. (211981)

[holding answer 17 June 2008]: The Climate Change Bill Final Impact Assessment complied with the Better Regulation Executive’s guidance on development of Impact Assessments. This states that HM Treasury’s discount rates should be applied, as set out in their publication “Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government—The Green Book”. The Green Book sets out a declining discounting schedule which discounts costs and benefits for the first 30 years at 3.5 per cent. per annum, and costs and benefits for years 30 to 60 at 3 per cent. per annum.

Professor Stern’s review did not apply a single rate of discount, but rather calculated the discount rate endogenously within the analysis, varying according to the scenario.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has evaluated on trends in the area of Arctic sea ice in the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. (211213)

The Met Office Hadley Centre (MOHC) undertakes research on trends in the area of Arctic sea ice, on behalf of DEFRA, through its Integrated Climate Programme. Within this programme, which is jointly funded by DEFRA and the Ministry of Defence, trends in the area of Arctic sea ice in the last 10 years were assessed as part of a comparison between modelled estimates of the minimum extent of summer sea ice and corresponding satellite records, for the period 1979 to 2006.

The satellite observation record shows a long-term decline in ice extent at all times of the year over recent decades, which has accelerated in the last decade; with record summer lows in 2001, 2005 and now, 2007 (at 4.13 million km², some 2.5 million km² less than a decade ago). Last year’s record low in summer sea ice extent was partly explained by unusually mild weather conditions and warm sea temperatures. Most climate models underestimate this ongoing decline, but some with more sophisticated sea ice physics appear able to capture the general trend (but not recent dramatic seasonal falls in sea ice extent). The MOHC model, even though doing better than most other climate models in representing the long term decline, only predicted a drop of about 0.5 million km² in summer sea ice extent over the last decade.

The strong year-to-year variability (due to short term weather factors) superimposed on this downward trend in summer sea ice area, means it is difficult to compare a single annual observed value with a long term trend in model simulations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many houses have been identified as being at risk of flooding greater than once in 75 years in England; (211437)

The last complete national flood risk assessment, in 2006, indicated that there were 393,000 residential properties at significant probability (probability greater than one in 75) of flooding in England.

The proposed minimum target for the capital programme over the three years of the 2007 comprehensive spending review period (April 2008 to March 2011) is for 145,000 households to have an improved standard of protection against flooding or coastal erosion.

During this period, the Environment Agency, local authorities and internal drainage boards will collectively deliver a programme to remove 45,000 households in England from the significant flood risk band.

The Environment Agency is developing a long term investment strategy for flood and coastal erosion risk management. A 25 year strategy will identify the policies and funding needed to achieve further improvements in flood and coastal risk, together with ways to deliver these. The strategy will be published in spring 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the resilience of sewage treatment works to flooding. (211538)

The Environment Agency has identified nearly 5,000 sites located in areas in England and Wales assessed by the agency as having an annual probability of flooding of one in 75 or greater. These include 737 sewage and water treatment works. This is a cautious estimate and does not take into account the specific ground elevations and other particular local factors.

The operators of this infrastructure are responsible for contingency planning to ensure continuity of service in the event of hazards such as flooding. The Environment Agency makes available its information to help operators carry out the necessary risk assessments. The Environment Agency has also contributed to Ofwat’s development of a methodology to enable water companies to assess asset resilience, with a view to informing the water company draft business plans for the next five year planning period.

In his interim review of last year’s flooding Sir Michael Pitt recommended that local resilience fora assess the vulnerability to flooding of critical infrastructure in their areas. The Environment Agency is helping with that assessment.

We do recognise and share the concerns expressed in the Pitt interim Review about the resilience of critical infrastructure to flooding. We will consider whether any further action is necessary in the light of the final Pitt recommendations due later this month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the environmental effects of the non-implementation of EC regulation 2037/2000 on ozone-depleting substances. (211068)

EC Regulation 2037/2000 on substances that deplete the ozone layer is directly applicable in the UK and other member states of the EU. Offences and penalties for failure to comply with its provisions in Great Britain are prescribed in the Environmental Protection (Controls on Ozone-Depleting Substances) Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/528) and the Environmental Protection (Controls on Ozone-Depleting Substances) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/91).

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to respond to the letters of 25 February and 6 May 2008 from the hon. Member for Edinburgh West regarding his constituent Mr. I. Firth. (210735)

You originally wrote to this Department on 26 November 2007 regarding your constituent. My officials replied to your office on 22 January 2008 to advise that the correspondence had been transferred to the Scottish Executive. After you wrote to the Department on 25 February 2008, one of my officials telephoned your office to confirm that the correspondence had been transferred.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many new reservoirs have been constructed in England and Wales since water privatisation. (211327)

As the enforcement authority in England and Wales for the Reservoirs Act 1975, the Environment Agency maintains a register of all large raised reservoirs with a capacity of 25,000 m³ or greater above natural ground level.

Since water privatisation in 1989, 244 large raised reservoirs have been constructed, 232 of these in England and 12 in Wales. 37 of these reservoirs are owned by water companies, 25 of which are service reservoirs and 12 of which are ‘raw water’ supply reservoirs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member of East Surrey of 8 May 2008, Official Report, column 1067W, on biofuels, what estimate she has made of the cost of the Renewable Fuels Agency’s review of the indirect impacts of biofuel production; and what estimate she has made of the cost to the Agency of (a) the work of (i) Agency staff and (ii) external advisers on the review and (b) the printing and publication of the report. (210246)

[holding answer 11 June 2008]: It is currently estimated that the total cost of the review that is being led by the Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) will be £264,000 inclusive of VAT (see following table). Of this amount it is expected that £218,000 will be spent on work carried out by external consultants. This includes their contributing towards expert studies of evidence, evaluation of production scenarios and engaging with international stakeholders through seminars and workshop events as part of the necessary evidence gathering process. An estimate of the RFA staff costs incurred by the review has not yet been made. We anticipate that the report will be made available electronically.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which bus operating companies are owned by a parent company which also owns a train operating company. (209256)

The Department for Transport does not keep central data on individual bus companies and their parent groups. However, to the best of our knowledge, the following bus companies operating in Great Britain are owned by the parent groups Arriva, First, Go-Ahead, National Express, Stagecoach and Keolis, all of which also own train operating companies (please note that trading names within these companies sometimes differ):

Arriva bus operations

Arriva London

Arriva Midlands

Arriva North East

Arriva Northumbria

Arriva North West and Wales

Arriva Scotland West

Arriva Shires and Essex

Arriva Southern Counties

Arriva Yorkshire

Centrebus Holdings

Green Line

The Original Tour

The Heritage Fleet

First bus operations

First Aberdeen

First Berkshire & The Thames Valley

First Bradford

First Bristol

First Calderdale and Huddersfield

First Chester and The Wirral

First Cymru

First Devon and Cornwall

First Eastern Counties

First Edinburgh

First Essex

First Glasgow

First Hampshire and Dorset

First Leeds

First Leicester

First London

First Manchester

First Midland Red Buses Limited First Northampton

First Potteries

First Somerset and Avon

First South Yorkshire

First York

Go-Ahead bus operations

Go South Coast

Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company

Go North East

London Central

London General

Metrobus

Oxford Bus Company

National Express bus operations

National Express Dundee

G&N Wishart

National Express London

National Express Surrey

National Express West Midlands

National Express Coventry

Stagecoach bus operations

Stagecoach Cambridgeshire

Stagecoach Devon

Stagecoach East

Stagecoach East Midlands

Stagecoach East Scotland

Stagecoach North East

Stagecoach North West

Stagecoach Merseyside

Stagecoach Sheffield

Stagecoach South East

Stagecoach Oxfordshire

Stagecoach Wales or Stagecoach de Cymru / South Wales

Stagecoach in Warwickshire

Stagecoach West

Stagecoach West Scotland

Stagecoach Yorkshire

Keolis bus operations

Eastbourne Buses

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding has been provided by her Department to the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive to support the provision of bus passes for free travel to all elderly and disabled people in Greater Manchester. (209928)

The Government have provided £10.519 million through special grant to Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive in 2008-09 to fund the improvement to England-wide for the statutory minimum concession. This is in addition to funding for concessionary travel through formula grant. The special grant funding represents a 20 per cent. increase on the amount spent on concessionary travel in Greater Manchester in 2006-07, the most recent year for which spend on concessionary travel is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the public purse of subsidising bus services was in each year since 1986. (210708)

[holding answer 12 June 2008]: The following table shows the total cost of subsidising bus services in each year since 1986-87.

Subsidy for local bus services includes bus service operators’ grant, public transport support and concessionary fare reimbursement by local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the percentage change in bus fares in (a) passenger transport executive areas, (b) other urban areas, (c) London and (d) other areas of England was from one year to the next in each year since 1986. (210710)

[holding answer 12 June 2008]: The following table shows the percentage change in local bus fares in each year from 1985-86 to 2006-07 for England, London, Passenger Transport Executive (PTE) areas and other areas. Data are not available for the urban/other split requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will discuss with Transport for London the absence of bus stops along the western side of Parliament street near Whitehall and ask for this situation to be rectified. (211851)

The temporary absence of bus stops on the western side of Parliament street has been due to extensive street works associated with the Whitehall Streetscape Improvement project. These are being carried out by Westminster city council on behalf of the Cabinet Office and other Government Departments in the area. The project involves major improvements to the highway including the incorporation of enhanced security measures.

Westminster city council has consulted Transport for London and London Buses at all stages of the project. Work on the western side of Parliament street is now almost complete and buses are once again stopping in the area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department spent on sending mail overseas in each year since 2001, broken down by delivery company. (208524)

The following table shows the requested information, where recorded. Spend on overseas mail is not separately recorded for the following Department for Transport organisations: Marine Accident Investigation Branch, Driving Standards Agency, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Government Car and Despatch Agency, Highways Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Vehicle and Operator Services Agency. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on models and photography for internal and external Departmental publications in the last 12 months. (211406)

This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was of models used for the photographs in the Department for Transport annual report 2008. (211407)

Nil.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on photographs and illustrations for the Department for Transport annual report 2008. (211408)

The Department spent £2,699 excluding VAT on photographs for the annual report 2008. Other graphs and diagrams were created from the Department's data at no additional external cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which training courses were (a) available to and (b) taken up by civil servants in her Department in the last 12 months. (210581)

The following list of development opportunities are available to DfT staff:

Absence Management;

Accountancy;

Assessment Centre Training;

Avoiding Harassment and Bullying;

Coaching;

Coastguard training;

Communication—Oral and Written skills;

Coping with Traumatic Incidents;

Customer Service;

Data Protection;

Diversity Awareness;

Driving Examiner Assessment;

Emergency Officer Training;

Employment Law;

European Union Training;

Finance and Audit;

Health and Safety;

Impact Assessment;

Induction for new entrants;

Information Technology;

Interviewee Skills;

Language Courses;

Leadership Skills;

Manual Handling training;

Marine Vessel Inspection;

Marine Search and Rescue;

Mentoring;

Parliamentary Process;

Performance Management;

Personal Development;

Personal Effectiveness;

Pre-Retirement courses;

Procurement;

Professional Qualifications;

Programme and Project Management;

Recruitment and Selection Interviewing;

Risk Assessment Training;

Stress Management;

Talent Management;

Telephone Skills;

Traffic Officer Service training;

Transport Security Officer training;

Vehicle Safety and Inspection.

A good deal of these opportunities are available through the Department's training framework contract. Staff are encouraged to make full use of the framework contract to meet their development needs. However, where development needs cannot be met via the framework contract, there is flexibility for them to explore other options.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether (a) UK citizens born in the UK, (b) UK citizens born abroad and (c) foreign nationals recruited into her Department and its agencies are subject to (i) UK and (ii) overseas criminal record checks; and if she will make a statement. (206474)

The Department for Transport's (DfT's) aim is to ensure that all employees are subject to baseline personnel security standards.

DfT (C) and its Agencies carry out Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), counter-terrorist check (CTC), security check (SC) and developed vetting (DV) clearance for all relevant posts where this level of clearance is necessary, for example working with vulnerable people, or in sensitive areas of the department.

It is recognised that overseas criminal record checks are more difficult depending on the country and will not in any event be picked up by Disclosure Scotland. The Home Office is taking forward work to improve access to overseas criminal conviction data as set out in the reply by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office (Meg Hillier), to the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Ruffley) on 4 February 2008 Official Report, columns 824-5W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when a final decision will be announced on the future of the Southend Driving Test Centre. (211526)

A decision is expected to be announced in August 2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what method of redress is available to those who have paid a penalty charge notice subsequently found to be invalid under section 66(3) of the Road Traffic Act 1991. (209467)

Section 66(3) of the Road Traffic Act 1991 has been repealed but any enforcement action in respect of a parking contravention observed or detected before 2400 hours on Sunday 30 March 2008 must be taken under the provisions of that Act. Those provisions included the right of the recipient of a penalty charge notice to appeal against it to an adjudicator on various grounds. If the adjudicator allowed that appeal, the adjudicator could give the authority concerned such directions as he or she considered appropriate (for example the refund of the penalty) and such directions had to be complied with by the authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason her Department specified service level reductions in respect of the present period for the franchise operated by First Great Western. (211087)

[holding answer 13 June 2008]: The specification for the greater western franchise was described in a stakeholder briefing document published by the Strategic Rail Authority in June 2005. Its primary objectives were to improve operational performance, and reduce the subsidy demand on taxpayers, by matching service provision more closely to demand.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many carriages will be withdrawn from west of Exeter when South West Trains cease operating west of Exeter; on how many services; and what steps she is taking to ensure that sufficient replacement rolling stock will be available to First Great Western. (211089)

Currently, South West Trains run two trains in each direction between Exeter and Paignton, and two between Exeter and Plymouth, operating as extensions of the Waterloo-Exeter service. Each normally consists of three coaches. These extensions will cease in December 2009, when the Waterloo-Exeter train frequency is due to be increased to hourly. The Department for Transport is discussing the implications of these changes with relevant train operators and Passenger Focus, and will seek mitigation measures as necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects to respond to the freedom of information request of 7 February, from the hon. Member for Putney, on the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport public consultation; and if she will make a statement. (205914)

The papers for this case are currently being collated. The Secretary of State for Transport expects to respond to the hon. Member shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2008, Official Report, column 1384W, on Heathrow airport, what tasks were included in the wide range of technical work in which BAA plc participated. (210598)

As set out in the Heathrow consultation document, BAA's involvement included developing the technical basis for mixed mode operations, refining the proposals for a third runway (including supporting passenger terminal facilities and connectivity), advising on forecasting and fleet mix assumptions and leading on the surface access work. Throughout the project, BAA's expertise as the airport operator assisted in ensuring that technical issues were properly understood and accurately represented.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what projections her Department has made of the volume of carbon dioxide emissions arising from motor vehicles in (a) 2010, (b) 2015, (c) 2020 and (iv) 2025; and if she will make a statement. (207310)

The Department for Transport published projections in October 2007 on changes in CO₂ emissions from road transport in England.

These are summarised in the following table.

These have been produced by applying the forecast percentage change in CO₂ emissions between 2003 and 2010, 2015 and 2025 from the Department's national transport model to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affair's official CO₂ inventory data for 2003. We have not produced a projection for 2020.

These forecasts are in the absence of further policy measures such as the changes to vehicle excise duty announced in this years budget and the outcome of the latest round of Commission discussions on mandatory new car CO₂ emissions and are consistent with what was announced in the Energy White Paper (2007). Further detail of the assumptions and policies underlying the road forecasts is available from:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/economics/ntm/071023_AnnualForecast07.pdf.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the commitment to the Gleneagles G8 Climate Change Action Plan to use public procurement policy to accelerate market development of low-carbon vehicles. (209771)

In the May 2007 Energy White Paper the Government announced that they would develop a new programme to help public sector organisations procure innovative, lower-carbon vehicles, with a view to accelerating their market development. In its initial phase the programme will have funding of £20 million and will focus on development of a lower carbon van.

To ensure that Government lead by example we also set a new target that, by 2010-11, new passenger cars purchased by central Government Departments and their agencies for administrative purposes will on average emit 130 g/km CO₂ or lower. In addition, at EU level we are working on agreement of a new directive to promote public procurement of clean and energy-efficient vehicles, without imposing unacceptable additional costs on authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations she has received on flexible fuel vehicles. (211877)

None, although Ministers and officials continue to engage with representatives from the automotive and fuel industries on this and on other biofuel-related issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which models of cars available for ministerial use are manufactured in the UK. (211579)

[holding answer 16 June 2008]: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 10 March 2008, Official Report, column 8W, given to the hon. Member for Houghton and Washington, East (Mr. Kemp).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials from her Department plan to attend the Beijing Olympic Games; to what purpose in each case; and what estimate she has made of the cost. (212116)

There are no plans for any Minister or official to attend the Beijing Olympics on behalf of the Department for Transport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) gross and (b) net income was from parking in each English local authority in each of the last five years; and what the balance of each authority's Parking Places Revenue Account was in the most recent year for which figures are available. (210017)

I have been asked to reply.

I have placed in the Library of the House a table showing the requested information on the gross and net income on parking services by each local authority in England in the last five years. Aggregate information for England is published in editions of Local Government Financial Statistics and the information is drawn from the Communities and Local Government Revenue Outturn (RO) returns.

The information on Parking Places Revenue Accounts is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to her Oral Statement of 9 June 2008, Official Report, columns 22-23, on transport (Greater Manchester), how much of the funding allocated for public transport in Greater Manchester will be allocated to transport routes from East Lancashire. (211900)

The package of public transport investment included in the Greater Manchester Transport Innovation Fund bid, which was awarded programme entry on 9 June, is intended to support those most affected by the congestion charge scheme. Those commuting into the Greater Manchester area from neighbouring areas such as East Lancashire, and therefore affected by the charge, will also have access to, and benefit from, the planned improvements to public transport including to rail, bus and park and ride.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make a statement on the proposed East Lancashire rapid transit scheme. (211990)

The North West Regional Transport Board has prioritised the proposed East Lancashire Rapid Transport scheme for funding as part of the North West Regional Funding Allocation. It is now for Blackburn with Darwen borough council to submit a major scheme business case to the Department for assessment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will estimate the cost to the local authority of regulatory approval for construction of a road-based tramway system in East Lancashire; and if she will make a statement. (211992)

The cost of securing approval for funding of any major public transport scheme will depend on a number of items, such as the scale of the scheme; whether a public inquiry is necessary; and the length of time taken to secure approval. The Department contributes up to 50 per cent. of eligible preparatory costs incurred by the scheme promoter between programme entry and full approval. Guidance to local authorities on the preparation of bids for funding is available on the Department’s website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department spent per capita on public transport in (a) Suffolk and (b) England in each of the last five years. (209350)

Most support made available by the Department for Transport to local authorities for public transport has been in the form of block grant for capital investment, and it has been for local authorities to determine how much of their overall resources should be spent on public transport.

The following table includes per capita funding for the integrated transport capital funding allocated to Suffolk and England (outside of London) in each of the last five years. This funding is to support local authority investment in both local roads and public transport. The way funding is provided for London means there are no figures comparable to those for Suffolk available for England including London.

The table also includes specific DFT grant funding for Suffolk and local authorities in total in England outside London. The grant are rural bus subsidy and for specific bus projects (i.e. kick-start, rural bus challenge and urban bus challenge).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the enhancement expenditure for Control Period 4 recently published by the Office for Rail Regulation will be spent in Wales. (210749)

[holding answer 13 June 2008]: In the Office of Rail Regulation's draft Determination of 5 June, £19 million was assigned for infrastructure schemes to support enhanced passenger services in the Cardiff area. In addition, £5.9 million has been assigned for improvements to Welsh stations in the first tranche allocation of funding under the national stations improvement programme. Other investments in the network, including schemes under the ‘Access for All’ initiative, and upgrade work to the Great West Main Line, will also benefit Welsh rail passengers, either directly or indirectly.

Rolling stock for Welsh services is a matter for the Welsh Assembly government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects to produce for the railways a specification for the control period from 2014 to 2019. (211088)

[holding answer 13 June 2008]: The High Level Output Specification for the railway for the years 2014-19 is due to be published in 2012, as part of a long term transport plan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which local authorities have been found to be issuing invalid penalty charge notices under section 66(3) of the Road Traffic Act 1991 (a) in London and (b) outside London since the September 2006 decision of the High Court in the case of R v The Parking Adjudicator ex parte Barnet London Council; by what means refunds of invalid penalty charges have been issued; and what steps her Department has taken to advise the public that refunds of invalid penalty charges may be made. (209894)

The Department has no information about the authorities that are said to have issued penalty charge notices after being advised by the Chief Parking Adjudicators of the implications of the judgment in R v. The Parking Adjudicator ex parte Barnet London Council. If a local authority considered it appropriate to refund a penalty charge that had been paid it would need to contact the keeper using the details from their payment record or, if that was not available, from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Local authorities know that they have the power to cancel a penalty charge notice at any stage in the process and to refund a penalty charge that has been paid if they consider it appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if her Department will commission an evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of speed reducing technologies. (211446)

[holding answer 16 June 2008]: There is a wide range of speed-reducing technologies currently and prospectively available, from enforcement technologies such as safety cameras through to awareness-raising technologies such as vehicle-activated signs and intelligent speed adaptation. We monitor and undertake evaluations of promising technologies on a continuous basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2008, Official Report, column 432W, on carbon emissions at Stansted Airport, how many (a) cargo and (b) long-haul aircraft movements were included in her Department’s central forecast of 3Mt carbon dioxide emissions at Stansted Airport in 2030. (211489)

Table G12 of “UK Air Passenger Demand and CO₂ Forecasts”, November 2007, available at:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/environmentalissues/ukairdemandandco2forecasts/

reports the breakdown of the 2030 central forecast of passenger air transport movements at Stansted between (a) domestic and short-haul, and (b) long-haul. This is repeated in the following table.

The same forecast includes 23,000 freighter ATMs at Stansted in 2030.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plenary and functional meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee there have been in the last 12 months; which Ministers attended; what the subject matter was of each meeting; and what the date is of the next scheduled plenary meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee. (208756)

No plenary meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee have been held in the last 12 months. There have been four meetings in the JMC (Europe) functional format in the last 12 months to discuss current EU business in which the devolved Administrations have an interest. There will be a meeting of the Committee in plenary format on 25 June 2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) when the next meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee will take place; and how often he expects the plenary Committee to meet thereafter; (210351)

There will be a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee in plenary format on 25 June 2008. It is not intended that any Minister will take the place previously allotted to the Deputy Prime Minister at the meeting.

It will be for the members of the Committee to reach agreement on timing of future meetings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his responsibilities are for overseeing the Joint Ministerial Committee; what mechanisms are in place to ensure that there is no conflict between those responsibilities and his other responsibilities as Secretary of State; and whether he sits on the committee in the same capacity as the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Northern Ireland. (210353)

The Prime Minister announced in Parliament on 30 January 2008, Official Report, column 306, that I am responsible for the Joint Ministerial Committees on devolution. This is in addition to my responsibilities as Secretary of State for Wales, but raises no conflicts with those responsibilities. I sit on the Committee as both the Minister responsible for Joint Ministerial Committees and as the Secretary of State for Wales.

I have been pursuing with colleagues in the Government and in the devolved Administrations the reinvigoration of the JMC arrangements.