To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on branded stationery and gifts for (a) internal and (b) external promotional use in each of the last five years. (273788)

The costs requested for the Department, excluding its agencies and Executive NDPBs, in each of the last five years, are shown in the following table.

Community Safety Unit (CSU) accounts for around 50 per cent. of the costs. CSU purchased items to support campaigns that had been running from 2005-06, such as the domestic burglary campaign. CSU's 2008-09 costs relate more to Community Safety Week and ongoing community safety events rather than major campaigns, hence the fall in spend.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, Central (Jeremy Willott) of 24 April 2009, Official Report, column 978W, on departmental ICT, what recent discussions he has had with Scottish Executive Ministers on steps to reduce carbon emissions from ICT systems in his Department. (274903)

My officials are in regular communication with their counterparts in the Scottish Government about the information and communications technology system (SCOTS) which the Scotland Office shares with the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government are complying with the same standards as those set out in the Greening Government ICT Strategy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on the purchase of (a) recycled office supplies in the last 12 months and (b) printer ink cartridges in each of the last five years. (274572)

The Office does not record this information in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his Department’s policy is on the practice of holding departmental away days outside the Department’s buildings. (268538)

My Office has not laid down a policy on holding departmental away days outside the Department’s buildings. Occasional staff events off site are approved by the Director of the Scotland Office, when there is a clear benefit to the business to be gained. Whether Government or hotel accommodation is used, it must be fit for purpose and provide value for money taking account of the nature of the event.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on (i) the effects on the marine ecology of the Blackwater Estuary of chlorination of water inlet and outlet pipes at Bradwell power station, with particular reference to the native oyster population and (ii) changes to such effects arising from the construction of a new nuclear power station at Bradwell. (275213)

DEFRA has neither commissioned nor evaluated any such research. However, analysis of samples of cooling water discharges undertaken by the Environment Agency has not identified any significant issue regarding chlorine.

Detailed proposals for developing a new nuclear power station at Bradwell have yet to come forward. As a result, the Environment Agency is unable to comment on any potential changes on the marine ecology resulting from new construction at the site.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the European Commission on reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. (274609)

I exchanged correspondence with Commissioner Joe Borg of the European Commission on the reform of the common fisheries policy in April this year. I presented the UK’s early thoughts on reform of the common fisheries policy at the April Agriculture and Fisheries Council where the European Commission presented its Green Paper on reform of the common fisheries policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department’s policy is on holding departmental away days at locations other than departmental premises. (268464)

Each business area in DEFRA has a devolved learning and development budget which is used to fund locally arranged training for staff. This can include staff away days and team building exercises.

Managers have discretion to decide whether or not to hold away days and, if so, whether these should be held at locations other than departmental premises. In exercising this discretion, managers will be expected to ensure that value for money considerations are fully taken into account, and to evaluate all alternative options.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by the Marine and Fisheries Agency on fisheries enforcement in each of the last 10 years. (274279)

The Marine Fisheries Agency was created on 1 October 2005 and was renamed the Marine and Fisheries Agency on 1 April 2007, when it took on marine licensing responsibilities.

A summary of the expenditure on fisheries enforcement over the life of the agency to date is as follows. The figures for 2004-05 is a broad estimate from the comparative figures in the annual report and accounts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps he has considered to increase levels of plastic and glass bottle recycling; if he will bring forward proposals to promote bottle return schemes in shops; and if he will make a statement; (273465)

The Government provide incentives and support for recycling by companies, for example through advisory services provided by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). In addition the landfill tax discourages landfill and encourages the recycling and recovery of wastes.

The Government also provide capital grant and other funding for the demonstration and pre-commercial deployment of low carbon and renewable energy technologies under the Environmental Transformation Fund, which has a budget of £400 million over the 2008-11 period. The Government also provide support for renewables through market drivers such as the renewables obligation, which is expected to be worth around £1 billion a year by 2010.

In December 2008 DEFRA published a report into packaging deposit systems and the role they might play in increasing recovery and recycling of single use drink containers (plastic, aluminium and glass) in the UK. The report was completed in consultation with a range of industry stakeholders and reviewed deposit systems in four other EU member states to assess the implications of introducing such a system in the UK.

The report concluded that while deposit schemes would increase recycling, alternative schemes could achieve the same or better results at a lower cost, as the relative cost of introducing a deposit scheme system was high. For example, the deposit scheme operating in Germany costs three times as much per container as a household collection system.

However, the Government are keeping an open mind in regard to deposit schemes and ‘reverse vending’, where vending machines take used bottles and cans for recycling and usually give a reward such as supermarket loyalty points or vouchers. A number of reverse vending systems are being set up by major retailers and the performance of these systems is being monitored.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions for river pollution were brought by the Environment Agency in each of the last five years; and how many of those were successful. (274227)

The table shows the number of successful prosecutions for water pollution under section 85 of the Water Resources Act 1991 between 2004 and 2008. This information comes from the Environment Agency’s National Enforcement Database.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission on how many occasions PICT has shut down the parliamentary (a) e-mail system and (b) intranet (i) wholly and (ii) partially in the last 12 months; and what the reasons for the shut-down were in each case. (273447)

The information is as follows:

(a) Mailboxes are stored on any one of five mail servers. The closure of any one of these servers would impact only on those users with mailboxes stored on it. Each server contains approximately 2,500 mailboxes. For the purpose of the answer, the closure of an individual server is reported as (ii) partially.

(i) The e-mail service has not been wholly shut down for the last 12 months.

(ii) The e-mail service has been partially shutdown on the following occasions in the last 12 months:

29-31 August 2008: 41 hours—one server failed due to software problems;

29-30 October 2008: 11 hours 30 minutes—one server failed due to software problems;

10-11 March 2009: 15 hours 30 minutes—one server failed due to a backup failure;

1 April 2009: Two hours 35 minutes—one server failed due to anti-virus scanner failure;

4 April 2009: All servers were down at some point during an eight hour period for security patch installation.

(b) (i) The Parliamentary intranet has been wholly shutdown on the following occasions during the last 12 months:

24 January 2008: 45 minutes due to a domain name service (DNS) failure;

29 February 2008: One hour and 30 minutes due to a proxy server service failure.

The Parliamentary intranet has also been unavailable due to planned maintenance on the following occasions:

21 March 2009: nine hours due to emergency security patch requirements

(ii) The Parliamentary intranet has not been partially shutdown during the last 12 months.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many complaints the House authorities have received about the speed or reliability of the parliamentary (a) e-mail system and (b) intranet in the last 12 months. (273448)

All complaints are logged in PICT's case management system. There is no record of a complaint being made for either of the above items in the past 12 months. This answer does not cover complaints about unavailability of broadband or VPN which may have resulted in loss of access to email or the internet.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission who the internet service provider is for the parliamentary IT system; and whether the (a) provider and (b) system will be subject to the provisions of the UK Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009. (272019)

The internet service provider for Parliament is Colt. The provisions of the UK Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009 apply to all public communications providers to whom a written notice has been given by the Secretary of State. I understand that Colt has not received such a notice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) average, (b) shortest and (c) longest tour interval for the (i) RAF Field Regiment, (ii) RAF Rapier, (iii) RAF Biological Detection and (iv) Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment squadron was in the last five years. (275041)

The RAF average, shortest and longest tour intervals, i.e. the interval between overseas deployments, for the:

(i) RAF Regiment Field Squadrons are:

(ii) RAF Rapier. The RAF Rapier role was transferred to the Army in 2007 and the Squadrons disbanded or became field regiments. The squadron tour intervals between 2007 and 2004 are:

(iii) RAF Biological Detection. The unit has not been deployed as a formed unit since 2003.

(iv) Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment do not deploy as a formed unit but augment Regiment Squadrons in Theatre when required.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of personnel serving with (a) each RAF Field Regiment and (b) each RAF aircraft type exceed the level set out in harmony guidelines. (275051)

The percentage of personnel exceeding the harmony guideline levels within the RAF field regiments are:

The information requested in relation to separate RAF field regiments and for personnel serving with each RAF aircraft type is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of flights (a) to and (b) from operational theatres have been (i) cancelled and (ii) delayed in each year since 2007; what the (A) location and (B) destination was of each such delayed flight; and what the (1) the length of time of and (2) reason for the delay was of each such delayed flight. (274978)

I will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Defence Dental Service officers were based (a) in the UK and (b) abroad, including those deployed on operations, in each of the last five years. (275019)

The numbers of Defence Dental Service Officers are provided in the following table, as at 1 April in each year stated. Figures as at 1 April 2009 have yet to be finalised.

No civilian dental practitioners are deployed on operations. The uniformed defence dental service officers deployed on operations are drawn from the total cadre based in the UK and abroad as provided in the table. The numbers deployed on operations overseas in each calendar year were:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) longest and (b) average period of time taken to make repairs to a forces accommodation property after a call-out was in the latest period for which figures are available. (275021)

The requested information is not held centrally and will take a little time to collate and verify. I will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many Vector armoured vehicles have been bought by his Department since 2006; and how many such vehicles have been deployed in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq; (274741)

178 Vector Protected Patrol Vehicles have been delivered since 2006. Details on the number of Vectors deployed is being withheld for reasons of operational security.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any of the second tranche of Mastiffs have been deployed to (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan. (274972)

A number of Mastiff tranche 2 vehicles have already deployed to Afghanistan, however, none have deployed to Iraq. Details of the numbers deployed to Afghanistan are being withheld for reasons of operational security.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the (a) inflow to and (b) outflow from each infantry battalion was in each year since 2001; (274975)

Current inflow and outflow information for the Army is not segregated by infantry battalions and is only provided as an overall Army level due to the ongoing validation of data following the implementation of the new JPA system. Historical flow information broken down by each Infantry Battalion is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

However, the inflow and outflow to the trained strength of the total Army can be found in Table 4 and 6 of Tri-Service Publication 4, UK Armed Forces Quarterly Manning Report. This can be found at the following link:

http://www.dasa.mod.uk/applications/newWeb/www/index.php?page==48&thiscontent=20&date=2009-02-26&pubType=1&PublishTime=09:30:00&from=home&tabOption=3

Information on outflow and voluntary outflow from each service in the last three years broken down by length of service of armed forces personnel is currently unavailable and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) required, (b) actual and (c) fit for task strength of each corps of the Army is. (274967)

In the following table, the requirement figures requested are shown by the funded liability, as at 1 March 2009¹:

As at 1 April, Infantry “Fit for Task” (interpreted as “Fit to Deploy”) strength, excluding 1 Para and 1 Rifles, was 18,995. “Fit for Task” figures for other Corps are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funding his Department budgeted for overseas travel expenses for Army recruitment teams in each of the last 10 years. (275214)

Army recruiting teams (formerly known as regimental recruiting teams) operate in the United Kingdom and do not incur any costs for overseas travel.

However, the Army’s overseas pre-selection teams, which travel to countries that have a high number of people who have applied to join the Army, have incurred the following costs for flights, transport and accommodation charges for staff:

Costs prior to 2005-06 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many veterans badges have been issued to residents in Hendon to date. (272303)

This information is not readily available and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) men and (b) women left the armed forces within six months of returning from service in (i) Iraq and (i) Afghanistan in 2007-08. (273313)

An estimate of the number of male and female UK armed forces personnel identified as having left Iraq or Afghanistan during 2007-08 and who were no longer in the armed forces six months later is provided in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which regiment or battalion forms the Spearhead Land Element (SLE); whether it is fully equipped; whether the present SLE is deployed; and when the future SLE will take over from the present SLE. (274973)

The 1st Battalion the Royal Anglian Regiment forms the Spearhead Land Element (SLE), which is not currently deployed. The SLE is fully equipped in accordance with the Joint Rapid Reaction Force Directive and operational mounting instructions. The next SLE will be provided by the Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland, who will assume this role from 1 August 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which regiment or battalion forms the Small Scale Contingent Battle Group; whether it is fully equipped; whether the present Small Scale Contingent Battle Group is deployed; and when the future Small Scale Contingent Battle Group will take over. (274974)

The 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment forms the Small Scale Contingent Battle Group (SSCBG), which is not currently deployed. The SSCBG is equipped according to their readiness state. The next SSCBG will be provided by 42 Commando Royal Marines, who will assume this role from 1 December 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) required, (b) actual and (c) fit for duty strength of each helicopter crew unit in each service is. (275046)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 February 2009, Official Report, column 1148W. The information requested in relation to fit for duty strengths for helicopter crew is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what steps his Department has taken to inform former members of the Royal Irish Regiment who received overpayment through the Special Capital Payment Scheme that they are not required to reimburse the scheme; (275105)

Former members of the Royal Irish Regiment remain required to reimburse any overpayment of special capital payment they have received.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects on the number of flights over east London of the expansion of Heathrow Airport, with particular reference to Walthamstow. (274716)

The adding capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation document in November 2007 contained indicative flight path maps. Figure 9 shows that in 2002 Walthamstow was overflown by an average of 298 arriving aircraft a day at a height of 6,000 to 3,000 feet. Figures 8a and 8b show that in 2030, with a fully utilised third runway, numbers are predicted to fall to an average of 260 aircraft a day at a height of more than 6,000 feet. This is because, with a third runway, arrivals would be spread between three runways and final approaches would be further out from the airport, so aircraft would be higher at the point where they are overflying Walthamstow. Walthamstow is not overflown by departing aircraft at a height of less than 4,000 feet and that would continue to be the case with a third runway.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) buses and (b) coaches have been subject to recall under the provisions of EU Directive 2007/46/EC Article 32, and EU Directive 2001/95/EC since each such Directive came into force. (273900)

There have been 57 recall notifications involving 12,462 vehicles. We do not have figures separately relating to buses and coaches.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the merits of changing UK safety standards for buses in the light of EU Directive 2007/46/EC, with particular reference to the testing of seating and buggy space for passenger safety. (274394)

The Department for Transport has made no specific assessment of the merits of introducing EU Directive 2007/46/EC with respect to the safety of seating and buggy spaces on buses.

The seating requirements contained within current national regulations and those referred to in the new European directive are similar, but neither contains specific provisions for buggy spaces. General vehicle safety regulations would prevent a vehicle entering service which presented a clear hazard to its passengers or other road users.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to discourage the use of hand-held mobile phones while cycling. (274754)

The Department for Transport advises cyclists through publications such as The Highway Code to “avoid any distractions when cycling” and to “keep both hands on the handlebars except when signalling or changing gear”; Tales of the Road—A highway code for young road users—also advises “not to use a personal stereo or mobile phone whilst cycling”.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what procedure his Department follows for dealing with complaints received (a) by e-mail, (b) by post, (c) by telephone and (d) via his Department’s website. (274517)

All complaints to the Department for Transport, however they are received, are handled in accordance with the Department’s published complaints procedure. This can be viewed on the internet at:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/complaints

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) guidelines and (b) safeguards his Department has in place for the commercial licensing of its departmental databases. (271992)

[holding answer 30 April 2009]: The Department for Transport has published an Information Charter

www.dft.gov.uk/about/informationcharter

which sets out its commitment to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 in the use and disclosure of personal data. Similarly, each of our agencies has published its own Information Charter which can be viewed on their websites.

Furthermore, the Department has issued guidelines on the reuse of its information for commercial purposes. These make clear that, among other requirements: resources must not be diverted from core functions (including any resources involved in anonymisation/preparation of the information, or in setting up and running the scheme); a third party must not own the intellectual property rights; only anonymised data should be used for bulk sharing with private sector bodies; and that the production of the information is not outside core functions of DFT.

Two of the Department's Executive agencies, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and Driving Standards Agency (DSA), have a derogation from the Office of Public Sector Information to license the re-use of their information and are accredited under the Information Fair Trader Scheme. The information they sell is anonymised and the licences and corresponding contracts restrict how the data can be used.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which of his Department's (a) centrally managed and (b) agency managed databases are commercially licensed for the use of private companies; to whom each is licensed; and how much revenue his Department has received for each licence. (271993)

[holding answer 30 April 2009]: None of the central Department for Transport's databases or those of its agencies are commercially licensed in their entirety for the use of private companies. Two of our agencies, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the Driver Standards Agency (DSA), license information extracted from their databases for commercial re-use. This is done in accordance with their derogation from the Office of Public Sector Information and their accreditation under the Information Fair Trader Scheme.

DVLA sell extracts from their Vehicle Database, consisting of anonymised vehicle data. The following figures show DVLA's total annual income from this over the last five years.

A list of the companies that DVLA have licensed to re-use this information has been placed in the House Library.

The individual income from these companies could not be calculated without incurring disproportionate cost.

DSA license the use of the Official DSA Theory Test question banks and 16 simulated Hazard Perception Test video clips for use by other publishers by way of a Crown Copyright Licence Agreement.

There are currently 140 licence holders, some of which are private companies and others are sole traders (e.g. driving instructors). Income derived from royalty-paying licence holders over the past four years is as follows:

A list of company royalty-paying licence holders has been placed in the House Library. The amounts paid by individual licence holders cannot be disclosed for reasons of commercial confidentiality.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has conducted a cost-benefit analysis of testing drivers over the age of 70 years before their licences are renewed; and if he will make a statement. (273574)

No cost-benefit analysis of testing drivers over the age of 70 years before their licences are renewed, has been conducted.

Drivers must already meet specific health requirements when renewing a driving licence at age 70 and are required by law to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency at any time about the onset or worsening of any health condition that may affect safe driving.

The current arrangements are based on an assessment of the risks that an individual poses to road safety and as such are balanced and proportionate. They do not penalise those persons aged 70 and over who are medically fit to hold a licence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of motor repairs made by (a) dealerships and (b) independent garages in the last 12 months. (274352)

The Department for Transport does not hold this information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents between junctions 14 and 16 of the M6 were reported in each of the last five years. (274371)

The following table gives details of the number of accidents on the M6 between Junctions 14 and 16 from 2003 to 2007. The accidents are broken down by severity.

Over the whole period there were 247 accidents on this stretch of road, nine fatal, 15 serious, and 223 slight.

These are the most recent validated statistics available. Data collected since 2007 are currently undergoing validation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Vehicle and Operator Services Agency checks have been undertaken at the ports of (a) Holyhead, (b) Pembroke, (c) Fishguard, (d) Liverpool, (e) Heysham and (f) Stranraer since the checking system came into operation; what the frequency of checks is at each of those ports; and if he will make a statement. (274623)

A list of checks undertaken at the ports of (a) Holyhead, (b) Pembroke, (c) Fishguard, (d) Liverpool, (e) Heysham and (f) Stranraer since the checking system came into operation and the frequency of checks is at each of those ports has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans (a) his Department and (b) Network Rail has to provide step-free access at each of the former Silverlink rail stations which also have Bakerloo Line platforms. (274708)

The Department for Transport and Network Rail currently have no plans to provide step-free access to the former Silverlink overground platforms at these stations, which comprise Harrow and Wealdstone, Willesden Junction, and Queens Park. Decisions regarding the provision of step-free access to London Underground services at these stations are the responsibility of Transport for London, contact details for which can be found at

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many railway stations do not have step-free access. (274709)

Detailed information about station facilities is held and maintained by train operators and the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and not by the Department for Transport. However, studies for the Strategic Rail Authority in 2005 showed that approximately 50 per cent. of stations provided step-free access routes to platforms, covering 57 per cent of journeys.

In March 2006 the Railways for All Strategy was launched, which includes £370 million of Access for All funding for station improvements over a 10 year period, in addition to access improvements delivered as part of rail franchises and major investment projects. We anticipate that over 80 per cent. of journeys will start or end at a step-free station by 2015.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much has been spent on capital funding for (a) railway infrastructure and (b) rail rolling stock from (i) the public purse and (ii) the private sector in each year since 1979; (274400)

The information is not available in the form requested. However, full details of historic Government expenditure on the railway is published in National Rail Trends by the Office of Rail Regulation. Copies are available in the Library of the House and online at

www.rail-reg.gov.uk

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations his Department has received in the last five years on rail services in Torbay from (a) Torbay local authority and (b) the South West Regional Development Agency. (274409)

Having searched the Department for Transport's records, one representation was found from Torbay council. This representation was an objection raised during the franchise replacement consultation in 2006, prior to the re-letting of the franchise. The objection related to the proposal therein that the London Waterloo-Torbay service would terminate at Exeter.

A representation was found from the South West Regional Development Agency, also in response to this consultation, offering a number of comments, including an expression of concern at Paignton and Plymouth proposals and their possible impact upon both productivity improvements and economic and housing growth.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Search and Rescue Strategic Committee last met; and whether it discussed the level of search and rescue cover provided for the South Hams coastline. (274965)

The United Kingdom Search and Rescue Strategic Committee last met on 22 October 2008 but did not discuss the level of search and rescue cover provided for the South Hams coastline.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which (a) individuals and (b) organisations have participated in his Department's consultation exercise on the search and rescue requirements of the southern part of the South Hams coastline. (274964)

The Department for Transport has not yet started a consultation exercise on the maritime search and rescue provision in the southern part of the south-west peninsula.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of congestion levels in the Torbay local authority area based on (a) reports from the Government Office South West and (b) the mid-term progress review of the local transport plan; and what support his Department is providing to Torbay local authority to (i) increase bus usage and (ii) reduce traffic congestion. (273974)

I refer to my answer of 6 May 2009, Official Report, column 196W, regarding the progress review of Torbay council’s local transport plan conducted with the Government Office for the South West. The progress review covers congestion levels in the area.

The Department for Transport is providing the following financial support to Torbay council to help improve their local transport infrastructure and public transport services. This funding will help the authority increase bus patronage and reduce traffic congestion.

This funding is not ring-fenced and Torbay council has discretion to spend allocations in line with their priorities. Revenue expenditure on transport is generally supported through the Department for Communities and Local Government’s formula grant.

The Department is also supporting Torbay council in the following ways:

£4.1 million will be provided in 2009-10 for improvements to the Tweenaway Cross junction;

assessing a Major Scheme Business Case on funding for the proposed A380 South Devon Link Road, a scheme promoted jointly by Devon and Torbay councils;

providing Torbay council with vehicle journey time data to inform their congestion policies;

£589,000 of funding over a number of years through the 2005 Kickstart bus competition to improve bus patronage and encourage modal shift through the South Devon College and Western corridor scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road closures due to road traffic accidents there were in each local authority area in the South West in each of the last five years; and for how long the road or roads affected were closed in each case. (273760)

The information held by the Highways Agency relating to road closures due to road traffic accidents, is not in the form requested. The Highways Agency and the Department for Transport do not keep data relating to road closures due to road traffic accidents on local roads, and therefore this information will need to be obtained from the local highway authorities.

The first table provides information about closures by police force area, for the motorway network in the South West over a five year period. The second table lists information by route for the All Purpose Trunk Road network in the South West, also over a five year period.

From the data held, the duration of closures ranged from five minutes to 23 hours 58 minutes.

The information available is for road traffic accidents where the police have requested Highways Agency involvement. No data are held for those occurrences where the police have dealt with an accident alone. Also, the data available for All Purpose Trunk Roads west of Exeter are from autumn 2006 onwards, and from July 2005 for other Highways Agency roads in the south west network.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what procedures govern the retention by local authorities of unspent funds designated for highway and byway maintenance for use on highway and byway projects in subsequent financial years. (273262)

The Department for Transport provides funding to local authorities for highway maintenance by specific grant, contributions to Area Based Grant and through Supported Capital Expenditure Revenue (SCERs). Local authorities receive support for the borrowing costs of SCERs through formula grant. This is an unhypothecated block grant, not designated for any particular service, and can be used to fund highway maintenance projects or byways, for which the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has policy responsibility. Local authorities also receive unhypothecated income through council tax and other sources such as fees and charges.

The amount of money allocated to highways and byways maintenance is for individual local authorities to decide. Where an authority has not fully claimed a specific grant allocation by the year end, they may apply to the Department for the remaining funding to be transferred to a later year. For other funding there are no central restrictions which govern the retention of funds held if authorities do not spend any budget which they set.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of levels of road safety in the Torbay local authority area based on (a) reports from the Government office south-west and (b) the mid-term progress review of the local transport plan; and what assistance his Department is providing to Torbay local authority to reduce road casualties in the area. (274292)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 6 May 2009, Official Report, column 196W, regarding the progress review of Torbay council's local transport plan conducted with the Government office for the south-west. The progress review covers road safety.

The Department for Transport is providing the following financial support to Torbay council to help them improve their local transport infrastructure and public transport services. This funding will help the authority develop road safety schemes and thereby reduce road casualties.

This funding is not ring-fenced and Torbay council has discretion to spend allocations in line with their priorities. Revenue expenditure on transport is generally supported through the Department for Communities and Local Government's formula grant.

The Department also contributes to the sharing of information and good practice via a group of local authority officers in the south-west region. Nationally it is sponsoring a number of demonstration and partnership projects with other local authorities to assist local authorities as a whole in their continued work to reduce road casualties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the proportion of children travelling to school by car in each local authority area in the South West in the latest period for which figures are available. (274407)

Data collected by schools in the South West area via the School Census in January 2008 showed the following percentage of children travelled to school by car in each local authority area:

The Government want as many children as possible to walk, cycle or use public transport to travel to school, that is why, in 2003, it launched the Travelling to School project setting out how it wants all schools in England to develop a school travel plan in order to reduce car use for journey to school and allow many more children to take regular exercise. By 2010 more than £140 million will have been committed to support the project through local authority school travel advisers and capital grants to help schools implement their travel plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the likely effect on the number of road deaths and injuries of raising the speed limit for light goods vehicles on single carriageway A roads by 10 miles per hour. (274353)

No such estimate has been made. We have no plans to raise the national speed limits for light goods vehicles.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on (a) rail, (b) road and (c) bicycle transport in Coventry. (274578)

The Department for Transport received advice in February 2009 from the west midlands region on its transport priorities in the period up to 2018-19 as part of its regional funding advice to Government. This includes proposals for investment in Coventry through schemes such as a new public transport interchange at Coventry railway station (Connecting Coventry), a Bus Rapid Transit System (SPRINT) and a Nuneaton to Coventry rail line upgrade (NUCKLE). Furthermore, the Highways Agency has prioritised a scheme within the regional funding advice to improve the A45/A46 at Tollbar End, in Coventry.

We expect to be in a position to respond to this advice by the summer.

Also, departmental officials are due to meet with representatives from Coventry city council on their proposed NUCKLE rail upgrade scheme later this month.

To ask the Leader of the House how many (a) special advisers and (b) officials accompanied her to Glasgow for the Cabinet meeting on 16 April 2009. (273901)

One official accompanied my right hon. and learned Friend to Glasgow for the Cabinet meeting on 16 April 2009.

To ask the Leader of the House what car journeys she took in attending the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009. (273902)

A Government car was used by my right hon. and learned Friend to travel to and from the airport in both London and Glasgow.

To ask the Leader of the House how much expenditure was incurred by her Office in respect of the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009. (273903)

The total expenditure incurred by the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons in respect of the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009 was £1,115.97.

To ask the Leader of the House what expenditure on (a) travel, (b) accommodation and (c) food (i) she and (ii) officials in her Office incurred in connection with the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009. (273904)

The total cost of travel incurred by my right hon. and learned Friend and one official in connection with the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009 was £1,115.97. My right hon. Friend and the accompanying official incurred no expenditure on accommodation and food.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what records his Department holds on anti-Semitism in pre-war Nazi Germany which remain closed to the public; and if he will make a statement. (274026)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office do not hold any records on anti-Semitism in Germany before World War II. We have released all such documents to the Public Records Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the US Administration on its review of US policy on Burma. (275328)

I discussed Burma with US Administration officials and members of Congress when I visited Washington from 3-5 May 2009. We remain in close contact with our US colleagues about the situation in Burma at all levels. We are working with them to ensure that collective international pressure is brought onto the regime to engage with the UN Good Offices mission and to instigate genuine political reforms. We continue to share concerns for the prospects of inclusive elections in 2010 and the grave humanitarian situation. The US Administration have not as yet concluded the work that is under way.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had recent discussions with his Chinese counterpart on the recent deportation from China of refugees from North Korea. (274321)

[holding answer 11 May 2009]: We continue to urge China to observe its obligations under the 1951 convention on the status of refugees and to allow the UN High Commissioner for Refugees access to the China/Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) border region. This subject was raised with the Chinese at the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in January 2009. We urged China not to return those people crossing the border from DPRK to China. China continues to maintain the position that cases are dealt with in line with domestic and international law.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will instruct diplomats from the UK mission in Beijing to visit in prison in China those Tibetans sentenced to death for alleged arson attacks in Lhasa in March 2008. (273789)

We do not intend to make a request to visit these prisoners, however we do remain concerned about their convictions. The UK is opposed to the death penalty in principle, and as a consequence, working closely with our EU counterparts, we are urging the Chinese authorities not to carry out the sentences imposed on those convicted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of China during the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue in mid-May on the recent death sentencing of six Tibetans for alleged arson attacks in Lhasa in March 2008. (273790)

The cases of the Tibetans facing the death penalty will be raised at the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what directions he gave to the UK Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe on voting in the meeting of Ministers' Deputies on the transmission to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe of the list of candidates for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe. (273137)

[holding answer 7 May 2009]: In line with our objectives on international institutional reform we have consistently supported a robust, fair and open selection process for the next Secretary General of the Council of Europe. The UK Permanent Representative was therefore instructed to support the shortlisting of candidates on the basis of a rigorous assessment against the agreed list of criteria and competences for the post.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the UK Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe on the short-listing of candidates for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe since the resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the electoral process for the Secretary General adopted on 29 April 2009; what the UK's position at the meeting of the Committee of Ministers in Madrid on 12 May 2009 will be; and if he will make a statement. (273138)

[holding answer 7 May 2009]: We have considered carefully Resolution 1665 (2009) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted on 29 April 2009. The UK stands by the draft resolution agreed by Ministers' Deputies on 23 April 2009 which will be formally adopted at the ministerial meeting in Madrid on 12 May 2009 nominating two of the four proposed candidates to PACE for election of the next Secretary General.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with the right hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull East (Mr. Prescott) in his capacity as leader of the UK delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, before directing the UK Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe on the position to be taken in the meeting of Ministers' Deputies on the transmission to the Parliamentary Assembly of the list of candidates for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe. (273148)

[holding answer 7 May 2009]: A planned consultation on this issue between the Parliamentary Assembly and the Committee of Ministers took place in Strasbourg on 29 April 2009. My right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull, East (Mr. Prescott) and the UK Permanent Representative participated actively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he instructed the UK Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe to vote for a particular candidate for the post of Secretary-General of the Council of Europe. (273481)

[holding answer 7 May 2009]: Following a rigorous assessment of the candidates against the agreed list of criteria and competences the UK Permanent Representation was instructed on how to vote on each of the four proposed candidates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on implementation of the EU Atalanta mission; and if he will make a statement. (273843)

Operation Atalanta is achieving highly positive results in providing protection to World Food Programme and other vulnerable shipping. It has delivered a significant reduction in the number of successful attacks in the Internationally Recognised Transit Corridor in the Gulf of Aden through close co-operation with the shipping industry and close co-ordination with other military operations in the region. While successful pirate attacks continue, these are either overwhelmingly against shipping which is not following the EU’s operations advice and agreed best practice, or is in the Somali Basin further south where shipping is much more at risk given the size of the area for the military operations to cover: the military operations are rightly concentrated further north, given the much greater importance of the Gulf of Aden trade artery.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent on UK involvement in the EU Atalanta mission. (273845)

The estimated common cost of the EU operation is €8.3 million, 17 per cent. of which is met by the UK. This amounts to £1.26 million. Other costs which include running costs of ships and aircraft are met by the contributing countries nationally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to second any staff of his Department to the proposed European external action service. (273298)

Were the Lisbon Treaty to enter into force, and EU member states to take a decision to establish the European external action service, then we would plan to second Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff to it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the proposed European external action service. (273321)

I have had no recent discussions with my EU counterparts about the proposed European external action service (EEAS). This service could only be established were the Lisbon treaty to come into force and after a unanimous decision by EU member states to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what dates he had (a) discussions and (b) meetings with the European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus on the situation in the region in the last 12 months. (274804)

[holding answer 12 May 2009]: There has been no ministerial contact with the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus (EUSR) in the last 12 months. However, senior officials have continued to meet the EUSR on a regular basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what dates he had (a) discussions and (b) meetings with the European Union Special Representative for the Middle East peace process on the status of the process in the last 12 months. (274807)

[holding answer 12 May 2009]: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and the EU Special Representative for the Middle East peace process have shared their views on a number of occasions in the last 12 months. This includes at General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) and Gymnich meetings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will encourage the Indian Government to implement the recommendations of UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief in her report of her 2008 mission to India. (274096)

The UK continues to work through the EU on a number of human rights issues as part of a continuing EU-India Human Rights Dialogue. The recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief were identified by EU colleagues as a subject for discussion at the EU-India Human Rights Dialogue meeting in February 2009. It was agreed by both sides that there would be continued exchanges about discrimination, including on religious grounds. The recommendations will be a useful point of reference for future engagement with India on human rights issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on levels of religiously-motivated violence in India in 2008; and if he will make a statement. (274097)

We have received reports of communal violence in Orissa and Karnataka where Hindu extremists waged a campaign of violence against Christians in August and September 2008. At about the same time in Assam, violent clashes occurred between Bodo tribes and Muslims; in Maharastra, between Hindus and Muslims and in Andra Pradesh, between Hindus and Muslims.

We have raised the issue of freedom of religion with the Indian authorities on several occasions, most recently at the EU-India Human Rights Dialogue which took place on 27 February 2009 in New Delhi.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons the (a) EU and (b) UK decided not to send observers to the presidential elections in Mauritania. (275098)

The EU was invited by the Mauritanian junta to send an Election Observation Mission (EOM) to monitor the proposed 6 June 2009 elections in Mauritania. The EU agreed to suspend non-humanitarian assistance to Mauritania under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement on 2 April 2009 because of insufficient progress towards the restoration of democratic rule, following the 6 August 2008 coup. The request by the Mauritanian coup leaders for an EU EOM was declined on the grounds that the elections are currently envisaged not to be representative, free or fair. There are a number of political parties boycotting the elections on this basis.

The UK has not been invited to send any observers to the presidential elections.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with (a) his Russian counterpart and (b) HM Ambassador in Moscow on the imprisonment of Mikhail Khodorkovsky. (274676)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not specifically raised Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s situation in his recent conversations with Foreign Minister Lavrov. However, we have made clear our concerns about the treatment of Mr. Khodorkovsky, and others who have been arrested or prosecuted in the Yukos affair, both bilaterally and through the EU. The issue was raised bilaterally at the UK-Russia human rights consultations in January 2009 in Moscow. Our concerns relate to due process and fair treatment in the Yukos cases, and they include the arbitrary application of the rule of law, access to lawyers and medical care, conditions of detention and the alleged harassment of defence teams and witnesses.

Our embassy in Moscow is watching current developments in Mr. Khodorkovsky’s case closely, and is participating in trial monitoring with EU partners and the US. We will continue to follow the progress of Mr. Khodorkovsky’s case.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with their counterparts in the (i) European Union and (ii) UN Security Council on efforts to secure the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Corporal Shalit. (275402)

We along with the EU have made our position clear ever since the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit, and we continue to call for his immediate, unconditional, and safe release. The EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, made this clear in his press statement on the Gaza crisis in January 2009, and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary last reiterated this message during his intervention at the UN Security Council on 11 May 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Israeli government on the kidnapped Israeli soldier, Corporal Shalit. (275403)

The UK continues to call for the immediate, unconditional, and safe release of Gilad Shalit, in public and in private, including in our discussions with the Israeli Government. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary reiterated this most recently in his statement to the UN Security Council on 11 May 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Indonesian authorities on allegations of human rights abuses in West Papua. (275130)

I raised UK concerns with the situation in Papua and West Papua provinces in discussions with the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Hassan Wirajuda, on 10 February 2009. I stressed that greater transparency was an important element to building trust and ensuring greater peace and prosperity for the region. Embassy officials continue to monitor the situation closely and to discuss the human rights situation with Indonesian Government officials—most recently on 6 May 2009—as well as civil society and community representatives from the Papuan provinces.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the government of Indonesia on its recent decision to expel the International Committee of the Red Cross from West Papua. (275129)