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Column 383
Written Answers to Questions
Friday 27 January 1995
TRANSPORT
Departmental Employees
Mrs. Maddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many employees for which his Department is responsible were women (a) in 1991, (b) in 1992, (c) in 1993 and (d) in 1994; and of these, how many were (i) at grade 7 level, (ii) at grade 3 level, (iii) at executive officer level, (iv) at administrative officer level and (v) at administrative assistant level.
Mr. Norris: The Department's personnel information system records the following information on women employees by year and grade:
|Grade |Grade |Executive |Administrative|Administrative
|7 |3 |Officer |Officer |Assistant
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1991 |58 |0 |994 |2,510 |2,911
1992 |63 |0 |1,034 |2,531 |2,753
1993 |68 |1 |1,007 |2,445 |2,543
1994 |71 |4 |902 |2,448 |2,562
Note:
Part-time employees are included in the above and are counted on the same basis as full-time staff.
Vehicle Excise Duty
Mrs. Ray Michie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the classes of vehicle currently exempt from vehicle excise duty for which vehicle excise duty will become payable from 1 July; and if he will give the amount of vehicle excise duty that will be payable in each class.
Mr. Norris: The information requested is as follows:
Current exempt class |Proposed class (and |Proposed duty
|vehicles within it)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Special vehicles
Road roller |-road rollers: |£135 (under 3.5
|tonnes)
|£150 (over 3.5
|tonnes)
Special
concessionary
Electric |-electric: |\
Gritter |-gritter: | | | £35
Snowplough |-snowplough: |/
Vehicles used for |-6 miles a week |<1>£15-£5,000
short journeys | vehicles:
between private land
Road construction |-road construction: |\
Street cleansing |-street cleansing: | | |<1>£135-£5,000
Street lighting |-street lighting: |/
<1> No increase of more than £1,000 on first relicensing on or after 1st July 1995.
Mrs. Ray Michie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what amount of vehicle excise duty will be payable from 1 July by agricultural tractors (a) used solely by farmers on their own land and (b) which use public roads for less than six miles per week to travel from one field to another.
Mr. Norris: The information is as follows:
(a) Nil.
(b) £35.
Mrs. Ray Michie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what amount of vehicle excise duty is (a) payable on agricultural tractors in Northern Ireland at present and (b) will be payable after 1 July; and what exemptions there are from this duty.
Mr. Norris: The information is as follows:
(a) £35, but "nil" for those used on public roads for less than 6 miles per week when moving between different parts of privately-owned land, and those used solely on private land. (b) £35. The only exemptions from this duty will be for agricultural tractors used solely on private land.
English Road Network (Expenditure)
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the expenditure on the English road network by central Government for each year from 1979 to 1994 in 1994 prices.
Mr. Watts: The information requested is available only on a financial year basis. In 1993 94 prices, based on the GDP deflator, expenditure on trunk roads in England was as follows:
|£ million
------------------------------
1979-80 |1,095
1980-81 |1,083
1981-82 |1,184
1982-83 |1,293
1983-84 |1,190
1984-85 |1,279
1985-86 |1,236
1986-87 |1,270
1987-88 |1,341
1988-89 |1,315
1989-90 |1,647
1990-91 |2,031
1991-92 |1,977
1992-93 |2,015
1993-94 |2,044
Recruitment
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent during 1994 on recruiting staff to his Department and its executive agencies; and how many staff were recruited.
Mr. Norris: During 1994, my Department spent £521,644 recruiting 182 staff to my Department and its executive agencies.
Lockerbie
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what basis financial assistance was given to the relations of British nationals in respect of proceedings arising from the Lockerbie air disaster.
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Mr. Norris: My Department agreed to meet the costs of legal representation for the British relatives of victims of the Lockerbie disaster at the fatal accident inquiry into the disaster. As the then Secretary of State explained to the House on 5 July 1990, this offer reflected the exceptional nature of the disaster--a crime perpetrated by international terrorists which resulted in the destruction of a large passenger aircraft in British airspace. There were therefore very special reasons for departing from the practice that relatives' costs are not met in fatal accident inquiries or inquests.
Coastguard Service
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the hourly rate of pay for auxiliary coastguards in each financial year since 1984 85;
(2) how many (a) full-time coastguards and (b) auxiliary coastguards, excluding rescue centre staff, were in post on 1 April 1984 and each year since;
(3) what was the total payment made to auxiliary coastguards for (a) all training, (b) training excluding rescue centres and (c) patrols in 1984 85 and each year since;
(4) what were the total budgets excluding rescue centres, for (a) each region, (b) each district and (c) each sector for (i) full-time coastguards and (ii) auxiliary coastguards in 1984 85 and each year since;
(5) what was the total number of paid hours for (i) patrol work and (ii) training, excluding rescue centres, in (a) each region, (b) each district and (c) each sector by auxiliary coastguards in 1984 85 and each financial year since then;
(6) how many (a) full-time coastguards and (b) auxiliary coastguards were in post in 1 April 1984 and each year since; (7) what was the total number of unpaid hours worked by auxiliary coastguards for (a) training on coast rescues, (b) training in rescue centres and (c) patrols in each region, each district and each sector in 1984 85 and each year since;
(8) what was the total coastguard budget in each year from 1984 85 to date at November 1994 prices; and what is the planned budget for 1995 96.
(9) how many sectors in each coastguard district have exhausted their planned budget for the year for (a) auxiliary coastguard training for rescue centres, (b) auxiliary coastguard training on coast rescue and (c) patrols.
Mr. Norris [holding answer 26 January 1995]: These are operational matters for the Coastguard agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
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Letter from C. J. Harris to Mr. Nick Ainger, dated 27 January 1995:The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions as these questions deal with operational matters, for which I have responsibility as Chief Executive.
PQ 609/94/95. No sectors have exhausted their planned budgets for (a) auxiliary coastguard training for rescue centres and (b) auxiliary coastguard training on coast rescue. Among the 91 sectors four sectors have exhausted their planned budgets for (c) patrols. The information requested in PQ 611/94/95 is only available from 1990 and is detailed in the following table:
|Number of
|full-time |Number of
|Coastguards in|auxiliary
|post |Coastguards
------------------------------------------------------------
1 April 1990 |484 |<1>-
1 April 1991 |480 |4,353
1 April 1992 |474 |4,061
1 April 1993 |477 |3,823
1 April 1994 |473 |3,454
<1> Figures not available.
The information requested in PQ 604/94/95 is only available from 1993:
|
|Coastguards in |auxiliary
|post (excluding |Coastguards
|rescue centre |(excluding rescue
|staff) |centre staff)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 April 1993 |130 |3,426
1 April 1994 |125 |3,077
The information requested in PQ 610/94/95 is only readily available from 1990 91:
|Total HM
|Coastguard
|budget (at
|November 1994
Year |prices) £
------------------------------------------
1990-91 |18,376,804
1991-92 |19,562,144
1992-93 |19,415,817
1993-94 |20,449,937
1994-95 |<1>19,144,129
1995-96 |<2>-
<1> HMCG portion of The Coastguard
Agency's budget of £24,882 million.
<2> Not yet decided by The Coastguard
Agency Management Board but estimate
provision of £25,596 million is being
sought for the Agency as a whole.
The information requested in PQ 608/94/95 is detailed in the following table:
Hourly rate of Hourly rate of
allowance for allowance for
Auxiliary Auxiliary in
Coastguards Charge
|0600-2000|2000-0600|0600-2000|2000-0600
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 April 1984-1 April 1985 |1.86 |2.10 |2.32 |2.62
1 April 1985-1 April 1986 |1.94 |2.19 |2.42 |2.74
1 April 1986-1 April 1987 |2.05 |2.32 |2.57 |2.90
1 April 1987-1 April 1989 |2.17 |2.45 |2.71 |3.06
1 April 1989-1 December 1991 |2.26 |2.55 |2.83 |3.20
1 December 1991-now |2.60 |2.93 |3.25 |3.68
The information requested in PQs 603/94/95, 605/94/95, 612/94/95 and 613/94/95
is not available in the format requested and could only be provided at
disproportionate cost.
London Underground
Ms Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list for each London Underground line and for each four-week period between 1 January and 31 December 1994, the number of fire and smoke incidents, and the proportion that were (a) category A, (b) category B and (c) category C;
(2) if he will list for each London Underground line and for each four-week period between 1 January and 31 December 1994, the number and length of station closures (a) exceeding 20 minutes during usual period for passenger travel, (b) exceeding one hour during usual period for passenger travel, (c) exceeding one day and (d) exceeding one week that were attributable to (i) staff shortages or (ii) security alerts;
(3) if he will list for each London Underground line and for each four-week period between 1 January and 31 December 1994, the number and length of (a) attributable station closures, and (b) non-attributable station closures (i) exceeding 20 minutes during usual period for rush hour travel, (ii) exceeding one hour during usual period for passenger travel, (iii) exceeding one day, (iv) exceeding one week and (v) exceeding one month; and which stations closed during the period have yet to be re-opened;
(4) if he will list for each London Underground line and for each four-week period between 1 January and 31 December 1994, the number of incidents, including cancellations, which resulted in a headway of more than 20 minutes; and how many of these were (a) attributable and (b) non- attributable;
(5) if he will list for each London Underground line and for each four-week period between 1 January and 31 December 1994, the number of incidents, including cancellations, which resulted in a headway of more than 20 minutes, and the number of these attributable to (a) train breakdown, (b) signal failure, (c) track/points failure, (d) power failure, (e) derailment or collision, (f) adverse weather conditions (including leaves on the line) and (g) security alerts;
(6) what has been the number of (a) assaults and (b) robberies on each London Underground station in (i) 1993 and (ii) 1994; (7) if he will list for each London Underground line and for each four-week period between 1 January and 31 December 1994, the number and percentage of escalators out of service;
(8) if he will list for each London Underground line the number of (a) crimes of violence, (b) robberies and (c) other offences for each four week period between 1 January and 31 December 1994.
Mr. Norris: These are operational matters for London Underground.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Next Steps Agencies
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary Lord Chancellor's Department if he will set out for each of the next step agencies in his Department whether they have acquired their own headquarters buildings and, if so, at what purchase cost of annual rental; how many support staff they have required which were not required when their operations were within his Department; how many
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of them publish periodical journals and at what annual cost; how many have fleets of executive cars or single executive cars and at what annual cost; how many have specially designed logos and at what cost; how many have corporate clothing and at what cost; and what is the cost of specially designed and printed corporate stationery.Mr. John M. Taylor: The Lord Chancellor is responsible for three agencies: Her Majesty's Land Registry, the Public Record Office and the Public Trust Office.
The agencies operate within the framework of demanding quality standards and tight controls of costs and other financial targets as set out in the White Paper, "The Civil Service: Continuity and Change", Cm 2627. Their expenditure is subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General.
HM Land Registry and the Public Record Office were separate Government Departments in their own right before becoming executive agencies reporting to the Lord Chancellor. The Public Trust Office was, and remains, a self- contained and separately accommodated unit within the Lord Chancellor's Department. Agency status has not led to any additional expenditure on accommodation at the Public Trust Office. The office makes a separate bid for funding and has always had to plan to meet all its expenditure from fee income. The establishment of executive agencies has, therefore, had no impact on the overall expenditure of the Lord Chancellor's Department. A record of the performance of individual agencies in improving efficiency and effectiveness in Government is summarised in "Next Steps Review 1994", Cm 2750.
As the right hon. Member's question concerns specific operational matters, on which the chief executives of the three agencies are best placed to provide answers, I have accordingly asked the chief executives to reply direct.
Letter from Sarah Tyacke to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated 23 January 1995 :
Parliamentary Question: Expenditure by the Next Steps Agencies I have been asked by the Lord Chancellor's Parliamentary Secretary to reply to your question about Next Step issues. The answers to the various points are given below:
1. The Public Record Office is a separate government department under the Lord Chancellor and has had its own headquarters building for over 150 years.
2. No additional support staff were required when the office became an Executive Agency.
3. The only periodical journal that we published is our Readers Bulletin, at a cost of £4,000 per annum.
4. The Public Record Office has no executive cars.
5. The Public Record Office had a logo specially designed at a cost of £850.
6. The Public Record Office has no corporate clothing.
7. All office stationery is printed in-house. There is no extra cost for printing new corporate stationery.
Letter from John Manthorpe to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated 26 January 1995 :
Parliamentary Question No. 95/181: Expenditure by Executive Agencies
I have been asked by the Parliamentary Secretary of the Lord Chancellor's Department to reply to your recent question concerning specific expenditure items by Executive Agencies.
HM Land Registry was established in 1862, and has continued since, as a self financing, separate government department directly accountable to the Lord Chancellor. Its move to Executive Agency status in July 1990 did not, as a consequence, involve it in any significant expenditure. I can answer your specific questions as follows:
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(a) The Land Registry's Headquarters building was acquired in 1913 and paid for under the Land Registry (New Buildings) Act 1990 at no cost to the Exchequer;(b) Its Headquarters staff has reduced since the launch of the Agency in 1990;
(c) The only periodical journal produced by the Registry is its internal staff magazine, introduced in 1986;
(d) The Registry has no executive cars;
(e) The corporate logo was introduced in 1989 following a staff competition at a cost of £800;
(f) The Registry does not have corporate clothing;
(g) The incorporation of the logo into corporate stationery was achieved at no extra cost.
I do hope that this answers the points raised with the Parliamentary Secretary but please contact me if I can be of any further assistance.
Letter from Julia C. Lomas to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated 24 January 1995 :
The Parliamentary Secretary, of the Lord Chancellor's Department has asked me to reply to you as part of the Lord Chancellor's Department's response to your parliamentary question, listed on 19 January 1995, regarding the cost of establishing Next Step Agencies. The Public Trust Office has not acquired any additional accommodation as a result of becoming an Agency.
Four extra support posts have been created but the additional cost has been met from within the PTO's existing budget allocation from efficiency savings. The creation of these posts in areas such as corporate planning will further contribute to the efficiency of the Office.
The cost of designing and printing the Framework Document, Corporate and Business Plans in 1994 (the first year of Agency) was £10,980. The Corporate and Business Plans will be published annually together with an annual report. The numbers of these documents required for 1995 is currently being researched and the cost is not expected to exceed £5000.
The Public Trust Office does not have any executive cars or corporate clothing and has not changed its logo.
Existing stocks of stationery were used before fresh supplies were ordered with a New Agency heading. The cost of altering the headings was negligible and not separately costed.
Absenteeism
Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the absenteeism rate for (a) the Public Record Office and (b) the Public Trust Office each year since 1991.
Mr. John M. Taylor: The question concerns a specific operational matter on which the chief executives of the two agencies are best placed to provide an answer. I have accordingly asked the chief executives to reply direct.
Letter from Julia Lomas to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 23 J anuary 1995 :
Absenteeism at the Public Trust Office
The Parliamentary Secretary for the Lord Chancellor's Department has asked me to reply to part (b) of your question listed on 19 January which referred to the "absenteeism rate for the Public Trust Office each year since 1991".
The most recent figures available are as follows:
|Number of |Average sick
|sick days |days per
Year |taken |Staff in post|person
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1993 |10,443 |571 |18.29
1994 |8,930 |561 |15.92
Note:
Prior to 1993 separate statistics for the Public Trust Office were
not maintained.
Letter from Duncan Simpson to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 25 January 1995:
Parliamentary Question: Absenteeism Rate in the Public Record Office since 1991.
I have been asked by the Lord Chancellor's Parliamentary Secretary to reply to your question about absenteeism rates in the Public Record Office since 1991.
The Public Record Office has interpreted the data using the `lost time rate' calculation, which is the standard calculation used in public and private sector organisations for measuring sick absence.
Lost time rate is calculated as follows:
Number of working days in period x 100%
Number of working days available
The figures for the Public Record Office are therefore:
Year |Percentage --------------------------------- 1991 |5.43 1992 |5.04 1993 |4.79 1994 |4.78
Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the absenteeism rate for (a) his Department and (b) Her Majesty's Land Registry in each year since 1991.
Mr. John M. Taylor: The average number of working days lost as a result of sick absence for each member of staff within (a) the Lord Chancellor's Department for the years since 1991 is as follows:
|Days lost
------------------------------
1991 |10.4
1992 |10.11
1993 |11.8
1994 |<1>-
<1> No details available yet.
(b) HM Land Registry is a separate executive agency and this question has been passed to the chief executive for reply. Letter from John Manthorpe to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 26 January 1995:
Parliamentary Question No. 95/183: Absenteeism Rate in the Land Registry
I have been asked by the Parliamentary Secretary for the Lord Chancellor's Department to reply to your recent question concerning the absenteeism rate in HM Land Registry since 1991. I can provide the following information:
------------- 1991 |5.2 1992 |4.8 1993 |4.5 1994 |4.5
I do hope that this answers the point raised with the Parliamentary Secretary but please contact me if I can be of any further assistance.
Civil Enforcement Agents
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he will announce proposals for a review of the organisation and management of civil enforcement agents, following public
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consultation in 1992; and if he will make a statement on how these proposals will affect sheriffs.Mr. John M. Taylor: The public consultation exercise in 1992 raised a wide range of difficult issues, to which the Lord Chancellor continues to give consideration. I am not in a position to say when an announcement will be made or how future proposals will affect sheriffs.
Departmental Staff
Mrs. Maddock: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many employees for which his Department is responsible were women (a) in 1991, (b) in 1992, (c) in 1993 and (d) in 1994; and of these, how many were (i) at grade 7 level, (ii) at grade 3 level, (iii) at executive officer level, (iv) at administrative officer level and (v) at administrative assistant level.
Mr. John M. Taylor: Details of the number of women employed in the years 1991 1994 at the relevant grades are set out in the table.
Number of women employed in the Lord
Chancellor's Department
for years 1991-1994 at selected
grades
|1991 |1992 |1993 |1994
--------------------------------------
Grade 3 |0 |0 |0 |1
Grade 7 |45 |51 |64 |78
EO |1,242|1,342|1,441|1,442
AO |3,454|3,608|3,741|3,644
AA |2,187|2,205|2,151|2,054
Note:
(i) The figures given are all at 1st
April of each year, (ii) they include
grade and grade equivalents and (iii)
part-time staff are accounted for on
a headcount basis.
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