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M25 (Works)
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how the Highways Agency will identify those projects that will be delayed or deleted as a consequence of the additional expenditure it will have to meet consequent upon the relaying of the capping and asphalt surfacing replacement between junctions 6 and 8. [19572]
Mr. Watts: I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Andrew Mackinlay, dated 13 March 1997:
The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent question asking which projects will be delayed or deleted as a consequence of the additional expenditure on relaying the capping layer and renewing the asphalt surfacing between junctions 6 and 8 on the M25.
It will be some time yet before we know accurately what the additional costs will be. They will be the subject of negotiations with the contractor and not all of them will fall to the Agency.
It is therefore not possible to give a precise answer to the question but whatever the cost, we must manage our programme within our budget. That said, there are no proposals for deleting schemes as a consequence. The most likely outcome is an adjustment to the timing on delivering projects as part of our normal management of projects to budget. But given that any additional costs are minor in relation to our overall budget, any delays will be small.
Traffic Congestion
Mr. Andrew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those stretches of road, including
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bridges, classified as orange and red for congestion in 1995 for each region which have residual life of (a) nought years and (b) nought to four years; and if he will specify the maintenance planned for those stretches of road. [20136]
Mr. Watts:
The residual life of the road network is held on a database comprising some 20,000 discrete sections designed to permit efficient computer analysis. The sections of the network covering the congestion maps and the residual life bands specified in the question are likely to number some 2,000 reference sections which could be identified and interpreted to provide a meaningful answer only at disproportionate cost.
The Highways Agency's plans for future maintenance of the trunk road network have not yet been finalised.
Ms Walley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) he will assess the impact of safety of the reduction in sector posts by the Coastguard agency; and if he will make a statement; [19022]
Mr. Bowis:
I have asked the chief executive of the Coastguard agency to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from C. J. Harris to Ms Joan Walley, dated 13 March 1997:
(2) what assessment he has made of the effects of the increasing role of volunteers in supporting the Coastguard agency. [19021]
The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about the reduction in sector posts and the role of volunteers in supporting the Coastguard Agency.
The recent review of uniformed coastguard officers has introduced a new higher grade sector manager level with enhanced responsibilities, skills and abilities. This will enable the number of administrative sectors to be reduced from 90 to 64. These changes are administrative and will not affect HM Coastguard's coastal response nor increase reliance upon volunteers.
Although volunteers play a vital part in the service we provide, the Agency is not increasing their role or number. In fact the opposite is true; nearly 200 Coastguard Watch Assistants have been recruited to replace the part-time auxiliary volunteers in operations rooms and in regional and district offices.
European Commission Committees
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library (a) the titles and short description of the functions of each regulatory, advisory or other committee of the Commission of the European Communities, (b) the names and details of each member and (c) their method of appointments and the designation of their responsible officers; and if they publish an annual report. [19435]
Mr. David Davis:
A list of Commission committees is in section III of volume 4 of the 1997 draft general budget of the European Communities which is available in the Libraries of the House. The other details requested are not held centrally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
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Mr. Charles Kennedy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress with the European IGC. [18312]
Mr. David Davis:
The intergovernmental conference is progressing well. All member states are working towards a conclusion to the intergovernmental conference at the Amsterdam European Council.
Departmental Web Site
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when her Department established its Internet site; what representations she has received and what data she has collated on the use and utility of the site; and what steps she is taking to increase the amount of information available via the site. [19142]
Mr. Robin Squire: The Department's Internet site was established with the merger of the former Education and Employment Departments in the summer of 1995, both of which had their own sites for a short time prior to this.
No significant representations have been received about the site, except for a few constructive comment received from users. Statistics show that the site is accessed, on average, 35,000 times a week.
The Department's policy is to extend its site, wherever possible, to provide information about its policy areas.
Mr. Donohoe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much her Department and its executive agencies have spent drafting, publishing and circulating each of their customer charters and customer standard documents; and how many copies of each document have been issued. [19393]
Mr. Robin Squire:
The Department and its executive agencies publish four charters and one customer standard document. The costs of publishing these documents and the number of copies issued are as follows:
| Publishing and circulating (£ millions) | Number of copies issued (millions) | |
|---|---|---|
| The parent's charter | 3.073 | 20 |
| The jobseeker's charter | 0.02 | 0.055 |
| The higher education | 2.87 | |
| and | 0.77 | |
| further education charters | 2.42 | |
| The overseas labour service statement of service standard | 0.002 | 0.02 |
The involvement of civil servants in drafting and preparing text is part of their normal responsibilities and cannot be quantified separately.
It would compromise the Department's confidential tendering procedures to disclose separately the payments made for the circulation of charters.
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The figures shown cover the costs of publishing and circulating the latest version of the jobseeker's charter. The information on costs for previous versions could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The higher education and further education charters were produced jointly. It is not possible to disaggregate costs. Although the main publishing and circulation costs are shown, there is some additional on-going expenditure which is not possible to itemise separately.
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many nursery vouchers have been taken up in the London borough of Wandsworth. [19490]
Mr. Robin Squire:
The following table shows the numbers of nursery education vouchers issued to parents and redeemed, in whole or in part, for each term during phase 1 of the voucher scheme in Wandsworth.
| Summer 1996 | Autumn 1996 | Spring 1997- to date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vouchers issued | 3,123 | 3,147 | 3,026 |
| Vouchers redeemed in whole or part | 2,798 | 2,760 | 2,437 |
Deaf and Visually Impaired Children (Teachers)
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) which teachers of deaf children are required to hold a qualification for teaching the deaf; [19895]
- (2) what specialist qualifications for teaching the deaf are required of a teacher of hearing-impaired children in a special unit where that child is registered in a mainstream class. [19897]
Mrs. Gillan: Teachers of classes of hearing impaired children, including teachers of children registered in a mainstream class but taught in a special unit, are required to gain a qualification recognised by the Secretary of State, within three years of appointment.
Mr. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate her Department has made of (a) the number of schools and (b) the number of special classes, in England and Wales, which require teachers with a qualification for teaching the deaf. [19896]
Mrs. Gillan: In January 1995 there were 28 maintained and 13 non-maintained special schools for children with hearing impairments--source: table 10 of "Statistical Bulletin", 9/96. The Department does not collect statistics on special classes for hearing impaired children. Teachers of such a class, whether in a special school or a mainstream school, must gain an approved qualification.
Questions relating to schools in Wales are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
Mr. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if statements made for (a) deaf and (b) visually impaired children below statutory school age, require prior consultation with an appropriately qualified teacher under the Education Act 1981; and if she will make a statement. [19894]
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Mrs. Gillan:
The Education (Special Educational Needs) Regulations 1994 require local education authorities making a statutory assessment of a child with hearing and/or visual impairment to seek advice from a teacher with a relevant qualification. The Government have no plans to change this requirement.
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