To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the (a) gross profit and (b) net trading surplus was of (i) Bellamy's bar and (ii) each other bar on the House of Commons part of the parliamentary estate in each of the last five years. (309749)

The gross profit (taking no account of staff and overhead costs) for Bellamy's Bar and each other bar (taken to mean venues which are primarily bars) on the Commons part of the parliamentary estate in each of the last five years was:

The House does not record the net trading surplus or loss in each individual outlet but in 2008-09 the overall net cost incurred by the Catering and Retail Directorate in the Department of Facilities was some £6.1 million, in accordance with the budget approved by the Finance and Services Committee. This represents the difference between income and the cost of the services provided.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much Sir Thomas Legg's analysis of hon. Members' expenses claims has cost to date; and how much of that cost was for remuneration to Sir Thomas. (310452)

Sir Thomas Legg completed his review and submitted his report on 16 December. The review has cost approximately £1.1 million to date, of which Sir Thomas's fees were £142,000. This does not include the cost of the appeal process now being conducted by the right hon. Sir Paul Kennedy, or of the work which Sir Thomas has been asked to do to update parts of his report in the light of further mortgage and rent information received from a number of Members.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the timetable is for migrating computer users in the House to Vista; and how many hon. Members have had their user accounts migrated to Vista. (310347)

PICT is ready to migrate Members from the Windows XP operating system to an upgraded system from the time of the next general election. A VISTA build has been successfully tested and PICT are now working with Microsoft to evaluate Windows 7 as a potential alternative option. PICT does not currently supply VISTA for any hon. Members parliamentary desktop.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many types of personal digital assistants (PDAs) PICT supports; and what procedures hon. Members must follow to receive (a) PDAs and (b) upgrades to PDAs. (310348)

PICT currently has a range of five windows mobile devices in its PDA catalogue. Since the service was launched approximately three years ago the range of devices has changed and all those issued in the past are also supported by PICT. The full range of PDAs currently available from PICT can be viewed and ordered in the Commons Members Centre in Portcullis House. Device details and order forms can also be found on the intranet. During 2009 PICT upgraded the Parliamentary infrastructure and as a result will shortly be extending the mobile service further to allow Members to connect their own active synch compatible devices (windows mobile, symbian and iphone) and Blackberry devices securely to Parliamentary Outlook accounts.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many (a) inquiries and (b) complaints PICT has received in each year since it was established. (310349)

Since it was established, the PICT Service Desk has received 345,404 calls and recorded 239 complaints.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many employees of his Department and its agencies have been convicted of a criminal offence of each type in each year since 1997. (308517)

While details of criminal convictions would be on the personnel files of employees they are not held centrally.

To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many employees of the Government Olympics Executive have been convicted of a criminal offence of each type in each year since 1997. (308518)

The Government Olympic Executive is part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The number of employees from DCMS convicted of a criminal offence since 1997 is zero.

11. To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will ask the First Minister to introduce in the Scottish Parliament a legislative consent resolution in respect of the provisions of the Anti-Slavery Day Bill introducing a national day to raise awareness of the need to eradicate all forms of slavery. (309559)

The hon. Member for Totnes refers to his Anti-Slavery Day Bill which is due for second reading in this House on 5 February.

The Government are committed to the convention that we would not normally legislate with regard to devolved matters without seeking the consent of the Scottish Parliament, and this commitment extends to private Members’ Bills that receive support from this House.

12. To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met broadcasters in Scotland to discuss the future of regional news in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. (309560)

My right hon. Friend regularly meets with broadcasters in Scotland to discuss a range of issues including regional news.

13. To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many freedom of information requests his Department has received in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. (309561)

The Scotland Office received 180 freedom of information requests during 2009.

14. To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the entry into administration of Globespan Airways Ltd. in Scotland. (309562)

I speak to ministerial colleagues regularly on a range of issues including the Globespan problems. Along with these ministerial colleagues I am continuing to monitor the situation closely.

15. To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent assessment he has made of the prospects for the banking sector in Scotland. (309563)

Following the UK Government’s support to Halifax Bank of Scotland and the Royal Bank of Scotland worth £358 billion, I am confident that the Scottish banking sector will return to profitability and again flourish as part of Scotland’s strong and diverse financial services sector.

To ask the Leader of the House how many working days were lost due to (a) illness and (b) stress of employees in her Office in each of the last three years. (309917)

The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons joined the Cabinet Office in 2007.

The Cabinet Office has published previous annual sickness absence reports for the civil service (2003-07) these can be viewed via sickness absence reports at:

http://www.civilservice.gov.Uk/about/resources/sickness/sickness.aspx

Since 2007, the Cabinet Office has continued to publish its own sick absence data on a quarterly basis. These can be viewed via absence data reports at:

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/reports/absence.aspx

No staff have taken leave for stress over the last three years.

To ask the Leader of the House how many sessions of media training were organised for Ministers in her Department in each of the last three years. (310241)

In the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons one Minister has attended a Media skills training course during the last three years. This was organised by Sara Jones Associates Ltd. at a cost of £2,937.50.

Training is also provided to Ministers on a range of issues including handling the media, as part of their induction and continuing development in order to carry out their duties effectively under the ‘Ministerial Code’.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effects on climate change of the practice of mob-grazing of cattle to sequester carbon dioxide in soil. (310000)

DEFRA has not carried out any formal research on the potential for mob-grazing (an extra intensive version of rotational grazing) to permanently sequester carbon in soil. However, an initial assessment from a UK perspective suggests that mob-grazing has limited potential to increase soil carbon and may increase soil compaction and erosion, resulting in a subsequent loss of soil quality and soil carbon. As a result of the density of livestock, mob-grazing practices would also be likely to lead to nutrient ‘hotspots’ which could lead to increased nitrous oxide emissions (a more powerful greenhouse gas) or increased nitrate leaching into water courses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will commission research into the (a) environmental and (b) economic merits of anaerobic digestion as a means of disposing of fallen stock; and if he will make a statement. (309994)

Disposal of fallen stock by means of anaerobic digestion is not permitted under the EU Animal By-products Regulation 1774/2002. This is because of the animal and public health risk associated with such disposal. There is therefore no point at this stage in carrying out such an environmental or economic assessment. However, we are aware that there is ongoing research into the possibility of using anaerobic digestions as a pre-treatment and method of temporary storage of fallen stock prior to disposal by rendering or incineration. The regulation has a provision to approve such new methods of disposal subject to evidence from research that it does not present a risk to animal and public health.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the relationship between badger populations and the incidence of tuberculosis in cattle, with particular reference to East Sussex. (310141)

[holding answer 11 January 2010]: Since November 2008, DEFRA has worked alongside the farming industry and veterinary profession as part of the Bovine TB Eradication Group for England to tackle Bovine TB and move towards its eradication. On 8 October, the group published a progress report that covered a range of issues including bovine TB and badgers and included a number of recommendations which have now been implemented.

While we do not have any studies specifically relating current badger populations to cattle TB incidence, DEFRA is funding a number of research projects that further analyse the extensive dataset collected during the Randomised Badger Culling Trial carried out in the South West of England between1998 and 2005. This trial looked at the impact of two badger culling methods on cattle herd TB incidence.

No trial areas were located in East Sussex because it is predominantly a relatively low TB incidence county with a well recognised small endemic area of infection on the coast between Brighton and Eastbourne. The latest figures show that of the 16,390 reactors slaughtered in 2009 up to 31 August in England, 18 were from herds located in East Sussex.

DEFRA is, however, funding work at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency as part of its TB surveillance contract, which looks at relationships between local badger and cattle strain types.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects a diagnostic test to differentiate between infected and vaccinated animals to become available for use in vaccinating cattle against tuberculosis. (310716)

The earliest projected date for the use of a BCG cattle vaccine with a DIVA test to Differentiate Infected from Vaccinated Animals is 2015.

It should be noted that in addition to the science, there are a number of key policy, legal, commercial, regulatory and manufacturing issues surrounding the implementation of a vaccine against bovine TB.

The possible future use of cattle vaccines has been discussed with the European Commission and the Commission has indicated that an accredited DIVA test will be critical for a cattle vaccination policy. DEFRA will continue to work closely with the Commission and other member states to minimise the time required to make the required legislative changes once the necessary scientific information is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government is taking to improve the resilience to flooding of drainage and sewer systems in (a) the West Midlands and (b) England. (309674)

In June 2009 the Government published their response to Sir Michael Pitt’s independent review of the summer 2007 floods. The Government supported all of the 92 Pitt recommendations, including those that suggested better ways of managing surface water flooding caused by excessive rainfall.

The Flood and Water Management Bill was presented to Parliament on 19 November 2009. The Bill implements the Pitt recommendations that require urgent legislation, and strengthens the legislative framework to reduce impacts of future floods. It gives local authorities lead responsibility for managing local flood risk, with the support of the relevant organisations.

It also contains proposals on unitary and county local authorities being responsible for approving sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) for all new builds and redevelopments, and for adopting and maintaining SUDS serving more than one property. SUDS can significantly reduce localised flash-flooding, reduce flooding downstream and slow down the rate at which areas begin to flood. They can also improve water quality. The Bill proposes to amend the automatic right to connect the surface water drainage systems of any new developments to the sewerage system, making it conditional on SUDS National Standards having been applied. For back gardens, local authorities already have powers to prevent the laying of impermeable surfaces where it poses a local problem, via Article 4 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995.

On 15 December 2008, the Government announced that the transfer of all private sewers and lateral drains linked to the public sewerage system would take place from 2011. Around 180,000 km of private sewers and lateral drains connect into the public network, but benefit from no effective operational regime. This will remove the burden of maintenance and repair from householders and will ensure better planning and more integrated management of the wider sewerage network.

In the West Midlands, the Environment Agency has supplied its Medium Term Plan for flood risk management to Severn Trent Water. This will allow an early assessment of potential impacts on the sewerage system to be made. It will also create opportunities to identify potential sites for combined schemes, where both river and sewer flooding occur. The Environment Agency and Severn Trent are currently co-operating on planning schemes at Alcester, Broom and Pershore in the West Midlands. These are all locations which were affected by the 2007 summer floods. These schemes are planned to reduce flood risk to 193 properties (100 at Alcester, 61 at Pershore and 32 at Broom).

Water companies are investing considerable sums in capital works to minimise the risk of sewer flooding. For the Periodic Review 2009, the Environment Agency commented on and contributed to the funding bid by Severn Trent to improve the resilience of its assets. In both the East and West Midlands, Severn Trent has been working with the Environment Agency to assist lead local authorities in establishing successful partnerships to manage local flood risk.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who has responsibility for managing the water level of Lake Windermere; and how this management is undertaken. (310365)

[holding answer 12 January 2010]: The Environment Agency is responsible for the operation of the Newby Bridge Sluices situated on the River Leven, which flows out of Windermere. The sluices have a limited controlling effect, reducing the lake level when it is high.

United Utilities carries out abstraction for the public water supply and this controls the lake’s water level when it is normal or low.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to implement the recommendations of chapter 14 of the Independent Review of Charging for Household Water and Sewerage Services. (309692)

DEFRA will consider Anna Walker’s final recommendations, including those dealing with the particular problem of the South West, very carefully and will consult on the way forward.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the reason is for the roadworks taking place on the A338; when they are expected to be concluded; and if he will make a statement. (310081)

Dorset county council, as highway authority, is currently clearing vegetation, removing tree, erection of reptile fencing and undertaking various surveys in preparation for proposed major reconstruction work to the A338 Spur Road from Ashley Heath interchange to Cooper Dean Interchange. It expects to complete this preparation work in early March 2010.

The Department for Transport is currently considering a major scheme business case for the reconstruction works and will announce a decision in due course.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects of the additional security arrangements introduced in December 2009 on queuing times and delays at UK airports. (309430)

While the additional measures introduced for US bound flights are the responsibility of the US Government, the Department for Transport inspectors have been working with airports and airlines to assess the extent of delays. The Department for Transport and the US Government are in regular contact to discuss ways in which delays can be minimised while maintaining adequate levels of service.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether the Government plan to introduce the additional security checks recently introduced for flights to the US to other flights departing the UK. (310284)

These checks were introduced in response to US Government requirements. The UK Government will not be introducing such specific requirements for other flights, but will be improving security for all departing passengers in line with the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary to Parliament on 5 January.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) what estimate he has made of the cost to the aviation industry of additional security checks on passengers transferring at UK airports to flights to other destinations; (310287)

The Government are not implementing additional security checks specifically on transfer passengers at UK airports, and so no additional costs are involved. International transfer passengers are already subject to the same screening regime as departing passengers, and will therefore be covered by the wider enhancements to airport security that are being introduced.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the average time required to carry out the new security checks on airline passengers and others. (310299)

This is currently under discussion with airport operators. Our aim is to minimise disruption to passengers.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what proportion of airline passengers transferring at UK airports to other destinations will be subject to additional security screening. (310300)

Transfer passengers are subject to the same security regime as departing passengers. The precise proportion of passengers selected for screening is not made public for security reasons.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimates have been made of the likely costs to (a) airports and (b) airline operators of training for staff on new security measures. (310302)

I have made no estimate. Training costs are a matter for airport operators.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether behavioural profiling is used in security measures undertaken at UK airports. (310303)

Security staff at certain airports are currently receiving training in behavioural analysis techniques.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many full body scanners he expects to be introduced into UK airports in the next (a) six months, (b) year, (c) two years and (d) five years. (310304)

This is a detailed operational matter for each UK airport to decide.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects of the introduction of full body scanners at airports on (a) the length of queues at security and (b) levels of passenger convenience. (310305)

Urgent consultation with industry is under way particularly with those airports who have trialled such body scanners to ensure that such operational issues are taken into account.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what criteria will be used to decide which passengers are subject to full body scanning at airports. (310307)

The code of practice is under urgent development and will be finalised as soon as possible.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he expects to publish the report of the Government’s review of airport security measures. (310314)

I refer the hon. Member to the statement made to the House by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 5 January 2010, Official Report, columns 28-32.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of passive millimetre wave technology in the detection of powder and liquid explosives. (310316)

None. We are not proposing the deployment of such technology at UK airports for the detection of powder and liquid explosives.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the cost (a) to the public purse and (b) to the aviation industry of introducing full body scanners to all UK airports. (310317)

The costs of introducing body scanners will be met by airports, and not the public purse. It will be up to airport operators to determine how many machines are needed to process passengers without undue delay, and so an assessment of cost at this stage is not possible.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether the full body scanners he plans to introduce to airports will use passive millimetre wave technology or X-ray technology. (310318)

We envisage that the body scanners to be introduced will use either active millimetre wave or backscatter X-ray technology.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of full body scanning security equipment for airports that does not use passive millimetre wave technology. (310319)

The Department for Transport has assessed the effectiveness of active millimetre wave and backscatter X-ray technology. It is envisaged that the body scanners to be deployed at UK airports will use either of these methods.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether there will be a minimum age for people to be subject to full body scanning security at airports. (310320)

I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 11 January 2010, Official Report, column 660W.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the oral statement of 5 January 2010, Official Report, columns 28-32, on aviation and border security, whether funds from his Department's budget will be allocated to training for airport security staff on new security measures. (310339)

The financing of training for airport security staff is a matter for airport operators.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the Oral Statement of 5 January 2010, Official Report, columns 28-32, on aviation and border security, whether his Department plans to contribute to the cost of introducing explosive trace detection equipment in all UK airports by the end of the year. (310340)

The financing of this equipment will be a matter for airport operators.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the Oral Statement of 5 January 2010, Official Report, columns 28-32, on aviation and border security, whether he has made an estimate of the cost to the aviation industry of his Department's requirement that all UK airports introduce explosive trace detection equipment by the end of the year. (310341)

I have not made any estimate. The financing of such equipment is a matter for airport operators.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he expects full body scanning equipment to be operational in all designated UK airports. (310350)

The first scanner is expected to be operational at Heathrow airport within about three weeks. We are discussing urgently with the airport industry the widespread roll out of scanners at UK airports as soon as is practical.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the Oral Statement of 5 January 2010, Official Report, columns 28-32, on aviation and border security, whether he expects airline staff to receive training in behavioural analysis techniques. (310362)

The current behavioural analysis training programme is focused on airport security staff.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what his estimate is of the average time it takes to search an individual using a (a) body scanner and (b) pat down physical search. (309428)

The average time taken for a search by body scanner is between 20 and 90 seconds, depending on the technology employed. A hand search takes around 45 seconds.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many people in Halifax are estimated to be eligible for the national concessionary bus fares scheme. (310461)

The Department for Transport does not hold information about the number of people eligible for a bus pass, that is persons aged 60 or over and eligible disabled people, at the level requested. West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority (Metro) administers the concessionary travel scheme that includes Calderdale council and Halifax. Population estimates from the Office for National Statistics show that in mid 2008 there were 43,400 people resident in the Calderdale council area aged 60 or over. There is no information on the number of disabled people resident in the area.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will take steps to ensure the restoration of the X1 Baker Bus service to Stafford station. (309866)

The X1 bus service is a commercial service operated by Baker Bus Ltd. The X1 also provides a rail-replacement service between Wedgewood, Barlston and Stone stations.

Rail services between Stafford and Stone were restored in December 2008. However, London Midland Trains has made a commercial agreement with Arriva Buses that through rail tickets will be accepted providing through journey opportunities.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many planned visits by Ministers in his Department within the UK were cancelled within 72 hours of the visit taking place in the last 12 months; and what the planned venue or venues were for each such visit. (309873)

This information is not held by the Department for Transport.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) what recent guidance his Department has issued to regional transport committees on the criteria to be used in their allocation of central funding for transport programmes; (310429)

My responsibilities include decisions on transport funding for cities and regional networks. Most such funding outside London is distributed to local authorities on the basis of advice received from regions.

Guidance to regions on preparing regional funding advice was most recently issued in July 2008, and is available at:

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/regional_funding_advice300708.pdf

This sets out both the general criteria for advice across all the functions covered and the specific transport considerations to be taken into account. The guidance also includes at Annex E the formulae which have been agreed to distribute available funding between regions.

Since submitting advice in spring 2009, regions have been invited to undertake a number of further transport studies to influence decisions on investment from 2014 onwards. Guidance on the study programme was issued in July 2009 and is available at:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/strategy/dasts/guidance/

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what (a) bonuses and (b) incentives have been paid to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors engaged by his Department in each of the last three years. (300629)

The Department for Transport does not record the details of bonus and incentive payments centrally and this could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

However the following bonus and incentive payments are known to have been paid:

The central department paid Operon gainshare and incentive payments of £340,654 in 2006-07, £394,905 in 2007-08 and £464,061 in 2008-09 for successfully meeting key performance indicators related to delivery of total facilities management services.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what (a) bonuses and (b) incentives have been paid to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors engaged by executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible in each of the last three years. (300630)

The Department for Transport does not record the details of bonus and incentive payments centrally and this could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

However, following a search across the Departments Executive Agencies and non-departmental public bodies, the following bonus and incentive payments are known to have been paid.

Driving Standards Agency made incentive payments of £26,032 in July 2008 and £10,544 in July 2009 for the completion of multi purpose test centres being delivered to the agreed programme.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of his Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey was. (309836)

The Department for Transport will be publishing its October 2009 staff survey results for the Department and its agencies on the Department's website on 1 February 2010. Following publication we will place a copy of the results in the Library.

The supplier for the Department for Transport staff survey in October 2009 was ORC International who were procured by the Cabinet Office to deliver the first cross-civil service People Survey. The People Survey replaced all existing staff surveys in the civil service with a single questionnaire.

The cost of the 2009-10 People Survey for the Department for Transport and its agencies was £76,000. By procuring a single supplier for staff surveys in 2009-10 the civil service has saved 35 per cent. on the total cost of staff surveys in 2008-09.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what progress has been made on the review of road safety between junctions 15 and 19 of the M6 motorway. (310065)

[holding answer 11 January 2010]: The Highways Agency has reviewed road safety between Junctions 15 and 19 of the M6, and other adjacent sections of the motorway, as part of its overall Annual Safety Report. This report has recommended further investigations at various locations along the motorway. The Highways Agency has also launched a number of targeted educational campaigns and other initiatives aimed at improving road safety along this and other sections of the motorway.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of grit and salt to treat roads and pavements during very cold weather periods; and what the sources are of salt used for such road treatments. (309987)

The Government have convened a group called the ‘Salt Cell’, bringing together the Department for Transport, the devolved Administrations (Scotland and Wales), the Highways Agency, the Local Government Association (LGA), County Surveyors Society, Met Office, the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Cabinet Office.

The aim of the Salt Cell is to provide advice to suppliers on the most effective distribution of available salt supplies in order to minimise the risk to public safety. The Salt Cell is continuously gathering and assessing salt stock and resilience levels and is working hard to ensure the delivery of salt goes to where it is needed most.

There are three significant salt mines within the UK. There are also three major salt merchants that import salt as well as supply UK produced salt. There are other salt merchants and businesses which supply relatively small quantities of salt.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on what date the Salt Cell became operational. (310553)

The Salt Cell became operational on the 6 January 2010 in order to respond to the current severe weather conditions.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much has been spent on additional rolling stock for the Calder Valley line between Halifax and Leeds since 2005. (310460)

Generally, rolling stock is not procured for particular routes unless there are special reasons, usually technical or operational, for doing so, and therefore it is not possible to identify additional trains provided specifically for services between Halifax and Leeds. However in 2006 Yorkshire Forward part funded the additional cost of 12 diesel multiple unit vehicles for use on services on routes in West Yorkshire, including those between Leeds and Halifax.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many people (1) were issued with a penalty notice for disorder under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 by the British Transport Police in each of the last three years; (310548)

This information is not held by the Department for Transport, but by the British Transport police who can be contacted at: British Transport Police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, e-mail:

parliament@btp.pnn.police.uk

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had discussions with his Belarus counterpart on the regulation of the internet in that country; and if he will make a statement. (310421)

Access to the internet in Belarus is controlled through the monopoly of the national company Beltelkom and strict rules are imposed on owners of internet cafes who are obliged to report when users visit banned websites. We are concerned by recent reports that a new presidential decree would increase control over the internet in advance of the local elections expected this spring and the presidential elections expected early next year. We, and EU colleagues, regularly raise freedom of expression with the Belarusian authorities. Progress in this area would improve the relationship between Belarus and international organisations like the EU, Council of Europe, and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. On 7 May 2009, Belarus signed the Joint Declaration of the Prague Eastern Partnership Summit which stipulates that the

“Partnership will be based on fundamental values .... including democracy, the rule of law and the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

This includes the right to a free media.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the number of internally displaced people in Colombia; and if he will make a statement. (310551)

There are varying figures on the total number of displaced people in Colombia, but the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) puts the figure at almost 3.3 million. Further details can be found on the UNHCR website at:

http://www.unhcr.org/4b02ca0e9.html

We continue to urge the Colombian Government to take all appropriate steps to help these people, addressing the most urgent issues they face, including extreme poverty and the loss of their land.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UK projects to reduce impunity in Colombia. (310552)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary announced a further £250,000 in UK project funds to help tackle impunity in Colombia in March 2009. These projects are ongoing in the current financial year, and it is too early to make an assessment of their effectiveness. The largest relevant project is being implemented with the assistance of the UN Office of Drugs and Crime and is being specifically tailored to meet needs identified by those involved in the Colombian judicial process, including investigators, lawyers and judges. Specialised training will commence in February 2010.

The other project funded with the additional money is a report reviewing the five years of operation of the Accusatorial Criminal Justice System. It will produce examples of best practice and draft proposals to present to Congress and the authorities aimed at improving the judicial process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has held with his US counterpart on the negotiation of a free trade agreement between the US and Colombia; and if he will make a statement. (310444)

Neither my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary nor I have held recent discussions with our US counterparts on the negotiation of any free trade agreement between the United States and Colombia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2010, Official Report, column 410W, on Colombia: overseas trade, for what reasons he will not withdraw from the negotiation of a free trade agreement with Colombia. (310455)

I refer the hon. Member to the response made by my hon. Friend the Minister of State (Mr. Lewis) on 26 November 2009, Official Report, column 302W.

We believe that free trade agreements can help to create the right circumstances for improved stability, where human rights stand a better chance of flourishing. Denying Colombia access to the economic opportunities presented by the multi-party trade agreement would undermine this prospect.

However, we would not support an agreement that did not contain a robust and enforceable human rights clause, which would allow the EU to suspend the agreement if it is breached.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many planned visits by Ministers in his Department within the UK were cancelled within 72 hours of the visit taking place in the last 12 months; and what the planned venue or venues were for each such visit. (309877)

The information is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers make every effort to fulfil engagements, but occasionally it may be necessary for business reasons to make changes at shorter notice than we would prefer. In those situations we always seek to minimise the inconvenience caused.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials from each other Government department are serving at UK posts overseas. (307049)

The number of staff, broken down by Government body, are shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the (a) average and (b) highest non-consolidated performance related payment for senior civil servants in his Department was in cash terms in each of the last five years. (303014)

[holding answer 30 November 2009]: For the years 2006-07 to 2008-09, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my noble Friend Lord Brett on 12 January 2010, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA146.

For the highest amount paid out to an individual, in each case a senior civil servant, for the years 2004-05 to 2005-06, I refer the hon. Member to the reply by my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Heeley (Meg Munn) to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 3 July 2008, Official Report, column 1125W.

The average non-consolidated performance related payment for senior civil servants in 2004-05 was £2,128 in 2004-05 and £4,025 in 2005-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2009, Official Report, column 161W, on departmental pay, how much was paid out in total under his Department’s main bonus scheme in each year since 1997; how much was paid out on average under the main bonus scheme to each of those whose received money from it in each year since 1997; how much the highest amount paid out to an individual under the main bonus scheme was in each year since 1997; how many individuals received a payment under the main bonus scheme in each year since 1997; how much was paid out in total under the in-year bonus scheme in each year since 1997; how much was paid out on average under the in-year bonus scheme to each of those who received money from it in each year since 1997; what the highest amount paid out to an individual was under the in-year bonus scheme in each year since 1997; and how many individuals received a payment under the in-year bonus scheme in each year since 1997. (303591)

Payment of non-consolidated, variable pay linked to performance was introduced in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2002. We reward staff who are performing most effectively, frequently in dangerous and difficult posts. Bonuses represented 2.97 per cent. of our 2008-09 payroll costs. In 2004, we moved to in-house payroll provision. New data prior to 2004 can be extracted only at a disproportionate cost, but some information has previously been published in the Official Report as follows.

The total number of individuals receiving bonuses was:

For the total sums paid out under the main bonus scheme, and the in-year scheme, for 2006-07, I refer the hon. Member to the reply by my right hon. Friend the Member for Eastwood (Mr. Murphy) to the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson) on 5 July 2007, Official Report, column 1142W; for 2002-06 in the reply by my right hon. Friend the Member for Ashfield (Mr. Hoon) to my right hon. Friend the Member for Leicester East (Keith Vaz) on 27 November 2006, Official Report, column 462W.

The main scheme paid out £6,333,024 in 2007-08 and £7,054,036 in 2008-09. The in-year scheme paid out £415,128 and £517,800 in the same periods.

For the highest amount paid out to an individual, for the years 2004-05 to 2005-06, I refer the hon. Member to the reply by my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Heeley (Meg Munn) to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 3 July 2008, Official Report, column 1125W. For the years 2006-07 to 2008-09, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my noble Friend Lord Brett on 12 January 2010, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA146.

The highest amount paid under the in-year scheme has been £2,000 since 2005-06. The average amount paid in the in-year scheme in the period 2005-09 has been successively £946, £748, £952 and £1,190. The average amount paid in the main scheme has been successively £1,083; £1,217; £1,303; £1,553.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2009, Official Report, column 161W, on departmental pay, how much his Department has paid out in bonuses to staff in each year since 1997. (303632)

I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave in PQ 303591.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many sessions of media training were organised for Ministers in his Department in each of the last three years. (310753)

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 30 November 2009, Official Report, column 423W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Director-General of UNESCO on the naming of the UNESCO-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences in light of the human rights record of the government of Equatorial Guinea. (309480)

We are concerned about the human rights situation in Equatorial Guinea, and made this clear at the UN Human Rights Council on 9 December 2009, when Equatorial Guinea underwent its Universal Periodic Review. Our ambassador to Equatorial Guinea will continue to raise our concerns with the Equato-Guinean authorities during his visits to the country. However, we have no plans to make representations to the Director General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) about the creation of the new UNESCO-Obiang prize, which was a matter for the UNESCO Executive Board.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what definition of the border of Morocco is used for the purposes of the EU-Morocco Association Agreement. (309545)

There is no definition of the borders of Morocco within the text of the EU-Morocco Association Agreement of 1996, which entered into force on 1 March 2000.

In practice, for the purposes of application of the tariff preference provisions of the Agreement, the European Commission provides each member state with details of the relevant issuing offices in Morocco which are approved to authenticate tariff preference documents. If in doubt HM Revenue and Customs would refer any queries to the European Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in North Korea; and if he will make a statement. (310428)

North Korea has one of the worst human rights records in the world. Although North Korea denies access to human rights organisations, including the UN, information from a variety of sources, much of it from North Korean defectors, paints a picture of serious and widespread abuse, namely:

political prison camps and labour rehabilitation camps;

regular use of the death penalty (including extra-judicial and public executions);

routine use of torture and inhumane treatment;

severe restrictions of freedom of speech, movement, assembly, and information.

We raised these issues most recently in December 2009 at the UN Universal Periodic Review of the human rights situation in North Korea (in Geneva). We pressed North Korea to allow the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea access to their country to make a full assessment of the human rights situation. The EU has also offered to restart a bilateral dialogue on human rights but North Korea refuses to do so until the EU stops proposing resolutions against North Korea.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how much funding his Department has made available to tackle antisocial behaviour in Coventry in each year since 1997; (309607)

As with all other crime and disorder reduction partnerships (CDRPs), Coventry was allocated £25,000 a year from 2003-04 as a contribution towards funding an ASB co-ordinator post. In 2005-06, in England the antisocial co-ordinators grant was pooled within the safer and stronger communities fund. This pooled budget supports the delivery of outcomes and indicators relating to antisocial behaviour in local area agreements (LAAs).

Other budgets also contribute towards the wider cross-Government strategy to tackle antisocial behaviour. The Government are committed to diverting young people from crime and antisocial behaviour as demonstrated by our investment of around £2 billion on prevention, including activity such as sure start children’s centres, parenting support and positive activities. Last year we launched the Youth Crime Action Plan, a cross-government programme of action to tackle youth crime and antisocial behaviour and reduce re-offending. It set out a triple track approach of enforcement where behaviour is unacceptable, non-negotiable support and challenge to children and families where it is needed and better and earlier prevention. This builds on major progress we have made in the last decade in tackling youth offending. Backed by £100 million of new investment it has led to significant action over the past year and a half, which has made a real difference to young people, families and communities. The number of young people entering the criminal justice system for the first time is falling. The number in England fell from 94,481 in 2007-08 to 74,033 in 2008-09—a 21.6 per cent. decrease.

Home Office led activities also act to tackle antisocial behaviour, for example the introduction of community support officers, but a monetary value cannot be assigned to that contribution.

While I have not had discussions with the community safety team in Coventry I am pleased to hear that Coventry community safety partnership has an overarching strategy and action plan to tackle and reduce antisocial behaviour (ASB) in the city, which has been developed and is delivered through a range of agencies who are members of a Coventry ASB strategic group. On 13 October 2009 I wrote out to all CDRPs challenging them to develop and publicise a set of minimum standards for ASB and communicate that effectively to the public, including:

reducing perceptions of ASB year on year;

regular updates for every community on what is being done to tackle antisocial behaviour—including an expectation to publicise ASBOs to the local community;

offer support and practical help to victims of ASB;

provide residents with a right of complaint when effective action is not taken by local agencies through existing channels; and

taking reports of ASB seriously by recording and investigating all cases and committing to keeping victims informed of action taken.

I am particularly pleased that Coventry community safety partnership has already been proactive in devising the minimum standards and that in September 2009 produced a synopsis for the Home Office, which showed how they already deal with and publicise many, varied aspects of ASB and related crime in terms of response times, reporting outcomes to callers, use of enforcement activity and use of council weblinks by which to report and get feedback on information.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what work is undertaken by the Association of Chief Police Officers' regional intelligence units. (308550)

The 10 ACPO Regional Intelligence Units share intelligence and information in order to build a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the threat and risk from serious organised crime. They also provide intelligence support to coordinate activity against those individuals or groups posing the greatest threat thereby maximising available resource capabilities and the reduction of harm. The RIUs are currently in the process of expanding to accommodate in each unit personnel from the Serious Organised Crime Agency, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and the UK Borders Agency that will support the development of a more integrated intelligence landscape across all the law enforcement agencies for serious organised crime.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of the number of refused asylum seekers remaining (a) illegally and (b) pending appeal in (i) the UK, (ii) England and (iii) each region in each of the last five years. (308751)

The number of individuals who receive a decision to refuse them asylum and the number who are removed from the UK or depart voluntarily are published quarterly and can be found on the Home Office website at:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

The following table shows the number of outstanding asylum appeals before the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) in each region of the UK and in England only in December 2006, December 2007, December 2008 and November 2009.

Prior to 2006 figures showing the number of outstanding appeals were based on a manual file reconciliation and subsequent appeal receipt and disposal figures. It is therefore not possible to break down those figures on either a regional basis or to reflect England only.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) financial, (b) legal and (c) housing support his Department provides to refused asylum seekers allowed to remain in the UK temporarily for humanitarian reasons. (308752)

Provision for the temporary support of failed asylum seekers, in the form of subsistence and accommodation required to prevent destitution is only available in certain circumstances, primarily under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Details of the availability of support are set out on the UK Border Agency website at:

www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/asylum/support/apply/section4/

The Government have introduced proposals for reform of asylum support under the draft Immigration Bill which was published on 12 November. The objectives in reform are to ensure those seeking asylum are effectively supported during the determination of their claim; that the system for achieving this is as simple and efficient as possible; and that it works towards the return of those who have no protection needs and who have no right to be in the United Kingdom.

Funding for civil legal aid is available to anyone who qualifies, provided that the case is within the scope of the legal aid scheme. Each application is considered on an individual basis and is subject to the statutory test of the applicant’s means.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of asylum seekers were (a) granted asylum and (b) allowed to remain temporarily in the UK for humanitarian reasons in each of the last five years. (308753)

The following table provides the number and proportion of persons granted asylum at initial decision stage of their application in the UK. It also includes the number and proportion of persons granted humanitarian protection and discretionary leave in each of the last five years.

Information on immigration and asylum are published annually and quarterly. Annual statistics and the latest statistics for Q3 2009 are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) burglaries and (b) robberies in respect of (i) businesses and (ii) individuals were reported in each year since 1997; and what the detection rate was for each type of offence in each such year. (307631)

Figures based on the number of recorded offences in England and Wales of (1) total burglary in a dwelling, (2) total burglary in a building other than a dwelling, (3) robbery of business property and (4) robbery of personal property are given in the following tables.

The number of burglaries related to business properties cannot be separately identified from the recorded ‘burglary in a building other than a dwelling’ offences.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children have been held in a police cell in each police force area in each of the last five years. (309885)

The Home Office does not collect these figures.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of incidents of recorded crime resulted in a conviction in each of the last 10 years. (306361)

Information is not available in the form requested.

It is not possible to track individual offences through to their conclusion at court. The police recorded crime data are principally victim-based and are the number of offences recorded in each financial year. Court proceedings data for convictions are collected by the Ministry of Justice and are offender based. These data are published on a calendar year basis and are counts of persons classified by their principal offence. For these reasons the two datasets are not directly comparable.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the level of recorded crime was in Lancashire Constabulary area in (a) 1997 and (b) the latest period for which figures are available. (308582)

There were 119,755 offences recorded in Lancashire in 1997. There were 117,575 offences recorded in 2008-09. However, it is important to note that these two figures are not directly comparable.

Since 1997, there have been two major changes to the way crime is recorded. The coverage was extended and the counting rules revised in 1998-99 and the National Crime Recording Standard was introduced in April 2002. For these reasons it is not possible to directly compare data for 1997 with that for 2008-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Minister in his Department is responsible for policy to implement proposals in the autism strategy on improving the accessibility of the criminal justice system; and if he will make a statement. (308723)

The matters raised in this question are the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's policy is on the accumulation and use of air miles by his Department's personnel flying at public expense. (308485)

The Home Office policy on acceptance of gifts, hospitality and rewards states: Members of staff travelling by air on Government business, paid for from public funds, must not use any frequent flyer rewards such as air miles, 'two for one' or equivalent schemes. However members of staff are entitled to associated benefits, such as priority booking and special lounges, when undertaking official travel. The receipt of any benefits accruing from official travel must be recorded in the hospitality book. In the case of gifts or benefits given for using a particular mode of transport it is important that the mode of transport chosen is in accordance with departmental guidelines. This guidance is widely available to all Home Office staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Newark of 30 November 2009, Official Report, column 476W, on the DNA and fingerprint database, what foreign intelligence agencies have received DNA and fingerprint information from the UK (a) by making a request for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and (b) through intelligence channels via Interpol, Europol or similar organisations in the last five years. (305478)

Mutual legal assistance is provided for the purpose of criminal proceedings or criminal investigations not for intelligence purposes. Home Office policy is neither to confirm nor deny whether a request for mutual legal assistance has been made or received.

The information on the amount of DNA or fingerprint material that has been shared with Interpol and Europol over the last five years is not currently available and could not be recovered without disproportionate cost. The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), which processes requests, is able however to confirm that since 1 January 2008, the DNA profiles of 150 EU nationals who have been convicted of serious offences in the UK have been shared with Interpol for comparison purposes, but not for sharing with member states.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many profiles were removed from the National DNA Database in each month of 2009. (310112)

[holding answer 12 January 2010]: The following table shows the number of subject profiles removed from the National DNA Database (NDNAD) under the exceptional case procedure, i.e. following a request to the chief officer of the responsible police force, in each month of 2009. The table covers subject profiles submitted to the NDNAD by English and Welsh police forces and the British Transport police.