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Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). Taking your points in turn:(i) DVLA has not acquired its own HQ building as a consequence of becoming an agency.
(ii) Annual cost--not applicable.
(iii) No additional support staff have been required since becoming an agency: DVL Directorate already exercised a considerable degree of delegated authority before agency status.
(iv) DVLA publishes twice a year `DVL Today' mainly to inform corporate customers such as the motor trade, the police and the courts about key developments and changes. Annual cost £35,000. DVLA also publishes a monthly staff journal "LICENCE" at an annual cost of £40,000. This was published before DVLA became an agency.
(v) DVLA now operates 1 official car compared with 2 before becoming an agency, and is about to surrender the remaining vehicle. (vi) The DVLA logo was produced by a member of staff in an internal competition with professional assistance at a total cost of £1,000 for the final product.
(vii) The design of existing official clothing for messengers was changed and now costs £1,000 a year less than before agency. (viii) There was no extra cost in incorporating the DVLA logo on specially designed and printed corporate stationery as existing stocks of stationery had to be replenished.
Letter from Peter Nicholl to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated 30 January 1995:
In the absence of the Chief Executive on Agency business, I have been asked by the Secretary of State to reply to the questions you raised insofar as they relate to the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA).
Taking your questions in order:
1. In April 1990, some 3 weeks after its establishment as an executive agency, VCA moved from a shared Government building in central Bristol to a new headquarters in rented single-occupier offices 2 miles from the centre. A study carried out at the time indicated that the move represented value for money. The current annual rent is £156,007.32.
2. VCA now has 11 staff providing support services which were previously provided centrally. (VCA's staff numbers were 73 in the year immediately prior to its establishment as an agency, 80 in its first year, and 75 by its fourth year 1993 94).
3. VCA does not publish any periodical journals.
4. VCA does not have a fleet of executive cars nor any single executive cars.
5. VCA's logo initially derived from an in-house competition. Its design was improved last year at relatively low cost. (Please see item 7 below).
6. VCA's staff do not have corporate clothing.
7. VCA's stationery was originally designed by HMSO at a cost which cannot now easily be traced. The design of the logo and stationery was upgraded last year at a cost of £1,163.25. Supplies of stationery in this form are obtained when needed at the most economical cost that can be found.
I would be happy to answer any other questions you may have about VCA's operations.
Road Schemes
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has reviewed cost-benefit analysis procedures on road schemes; if conclusions have been reached; and if he will place a copy of any new guidance on such analysis in the Library.
Mr. Watts: Cost-benefit analysis procedures for road schemes are kept constantly under review. I refer the hon. Member also to my right hon. Friend's reply to my hon. Friend the Member for City of Chester (Mr. Brandreth) on 19 December 1994, Official Report , columns 880 81 .
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Ian Greer Associates
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions departmental officials met representatives of Ian Greer Associates (a) formally and (b) informally on 26 January to discuss matters relating to its clients' interests.
Mr. Norris: (a) Once. I met with London Taxis International and one representative of Ian Greer Associates, to discuss taxi issues. Three officials of my Department were present.
(b) None.
Kent Coast Line
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has yet seen the British Railways Board's business case for the replacement, or otherwise, of rolling stock for the Kent coast line; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Watts: Establishing the business case for this investment is a matter for the British Railways Board. My Department has been sent, for information, some of the material on the basis of which BR made its decision not to accept the offer made last year by ABB Transportation.
Subsequently, BR has indicated a willingness to re-examine the commercial case if an improved offer were received from ABB.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Oil and Gas Development
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to ensure that floating production facilities for oil and gas developments are built in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Ancram: The industrial research and technology unit of the Department of Economic Development is in discussion with Harland and Wolff about possible Government support for the development of a floating production storage and offloading unit for the deep-water offshore oil industry. The company has been invited to submit a formal application to IRTU which will be subject to the normal rigours of a technical and financial appraisal.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent during 1994 on recruiting staff to his Department and its executive agencies; and how many staff were recruited.
Sir John Wheeler: From the information available in Northern Ireland Departments and the Northern Ireland Office, £1,142,112 was spent during 1994 in recruiting, 1,910 staff.
N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will provide estimates for the total amount that has been paid to N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd. with respect to any work undertaken by it on privatisation programmes in which his Department has been engaged since 1979 after taking account of inflation.
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Mr. John Wheeler: N. M. Rothschild and Sons has been employed on only one privatisation programme--Northern Ireland Electricity. Details of the fees and expenses paid in respect of this contract cannot be released as it would breach commercial confidentiality.
Ian Greer Associates
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions departmental officials met representatives of Ian Greer Associates (a) formally and (b) informally on 26 January to discuss matters relating to their clients' interests.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Attorney-General if he will provide estimates for the total amount that has been paid to N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd. with respect to any work undertaken by it on privatisation programmes in which his Department has been engaged since 1979 after taking account of inflation.
The Attorney-General: None of the Departments for which I am responsible has made payments to N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd. with respect to any such work.
Ian Greer Associates
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions Departmental officials met representatives of Ian Greer Associates (a) formally and (b) informally on 26 January to discuss matters relating to their clients' interests.
The Attorney-General: (a) None: (b) None.
EMPLOYMENT
Work-related Illnesses
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the Health and Safety Executive's estimate of the number of people who die each year as a result of ill health induced by work activity.
Mr. Oppenheim: It is not possible to state accurately the number of premature deaths which are the result of ill health cased by work. It is estimated there are at least 2,500 such deaths in Great Britain annually. Figures have been published in "Health and Safety Statistics: Statistical Supplement to the 1993 94 Annual Report of the Health and Safety Commission", a copy of which is in the Library.
Business Start-up Scheme
Mr. Pearson: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which TEC areas (a) will and (b) will not provide business start-up programme type support in 1995 96; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Paice: A list of training and enterprise council areas where there will be direct business start-up support
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in 1995 96 from the single regeneration budget is shown in the table.Start-up support will also be available through the training for work programme, from TECs' own reserves and from the Prince's Youth Business Trust which receives funding from the Department, but the TEC areas concerned cannot readily be identified. For this reason, it is not possible to supply a list of any areas which may be entirely without such support.
The Areas with direct business start-up support from the single regeneration budget, 1995 96
Avon TEC
AZTEC (Kingston upon Thames)
Barnsley/Doncaster TEC
Bedfordshire TEC
Birmingham TEC
Bradford and District TEC
Calderdale and Kirklees TEC
CENTEC (Central London)
CEWTEC (Wirral)
CILNTEC (Inner London North)
County Durham TEC
Coventry and Warwickshire TEC
Cumbria TEC
Devon and Cornwall TEC
Dorset TEC
Dudley TEC
ELTEC (East Lancashire)
Gloucestershire TEC
Greater Peterborough TEC
Hampshire TEC
HAWTEC (Hereford and Worcester)
Hertfordshire TEC
Humberside TEC
LAWTEC (Lancashire West)
Leeds TEC
Lincolnshire TEC
London East TEC
Manchester TEC
Merseyside TEC
METROTEC (Wigan)
Norfolk and Waveney TEC
North Derbyshire TEC
North London TEC
North Nottinghamshire TEC
North West London TEC
North Yorkshire TEC
Northamptonshire TEC
Northumberland TEC
QUALITEC (St. Helens)
Rochdale TEC
Rotherham TEC
Sandwell TEC
Sheffield TEC
Shropshire TEC
SOLOTEC (Bromley)
Somerset TEC
South East Cheshire TEC
South Thames TEC
Southern Derbyshire TEC
Staffordshire TEC
Sunderland City TEC
Sussex TEC
Teesside TEC
Tyneside TEC
Wakefield TEC
West London TEC
Wolverhampton TEC
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