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Personal Service Companies
Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many individuals trading as personal service companies are currently under contract to (a) his Department, (b) the Information Technology Services Agency and (c) the Benefits Agency. [97294]
Angela Eagle: The Department uses the services of professional contractors chiefly in the areas of accountancy and IT services. We have no information on the numbers of accountancy contractors who may have established personal service companies.
A Framework Agreement for the provision of Computer and Related Services to the Department has been in place since June 1996. Within this Framework are 7 companies that are contracted to provide the Department with IT Contractor staff. The Department's contractual arrangements are with the Framework suppliers and not the individual IT Contractors.
New Deal (Costs)
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list (a) the administrative staff costs, (b) the costs of employer subsidies and (c) the amount spent on training recruits under the New Deal scheme during the last year. [96266]
Ms Jowell: I have been asked to reply.
In 1998-99, total expenditure for the New Deal for Young People (18-24 year olds) for administrative staff costs was £95m. This includes the cost of New Deal Personal Advisers who are at the core of the successful delivery of New Deal.
The spend on employer subsides was £18.6m.
Within New Deal for Young People, participants benefit from a wide variety of advice, guidance, training, work experience and other specialist provision. The
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amount spent on New Deal provision was £82.4m. (This figure excludes administration costs, employer subsidies, options allowance payments, marketing and initial set-up costs). A significant further volume of provision will be paid for in this financial year. The national launch of New Deal took place in April 1998 and as a result young people did not move into Options provision until later in the year and secondly that there was some late billing by providers. Expenditure on training provision is also affected by the higher than expected, and welcome, movement from the Gateway into unsubsidised jobs.
Mr. Hilary Benn:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to put McKenzie friends on a statutory footing; and if he will make a statement. [97250]
Mr. Lock:
The Government have no plans at present to place the role of McKenzie friends on a statutory footing. Judges have developed common law rules so that litigants in person are permitted a McKenzie friend in proceedings in open court, and in chambers, unless the court is satisfied that fairness and justice does not require that assistance or where the court has grounds for believing that a McKenzie friend has acted inappropriately.
Mr. Curry:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the
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communications addressed to local authorities from his Department on the administration of housing benefit since 1 January. [96529]
Ms Armstrong:
The administration of housing benefit is primarily the responsibility of the Department of Social Security. However, the Department did write to the Chief Executives of local authorities in England on 30 July concerning the implementation work on the 'Supporting People' initiative which will impact on the implementation of the Transitional Housing Benefit scheme in April 2000.
Mrs. Ellman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much public sector funding the Walton Group Plc received in the last 10 years for re-generating properties in Liverpool; when this funding was approved; for what purpose the moneys were made available; when the expenditure was audited by the relevant authorities; and if he will make a statement. [96469]
Ms Armstrong:
The Walton Commercial Group Ltd. (now Walton Group plc) was awarded a grant of £4.5 million in July 1992 towards the refurbishment of the Exchange Flags Building in Liverpool City Centre to provide 400,000 sq. ft. of refurbished office space and a museum. Total grant payments of £4,444,782 were made over the period November 1992 to May 1994 against claimed qualifying expenditure of £23,705,511.
The Urban Regeneration Agency (English Partnerships), acting as agents for the Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions, are currently reviewing the project and the use to which the grant has been put.
Mr. Kidney:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what studies into the incidence of repeat offending by motorists and ways to reduce such repeat offending his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) received the results of in the last five years. [96640]
Mr. Hill:
Research is currently in progress to study the effect of the Road Traffic Act 1991 on prosecutions for dangerous driving. Among other topics, this includes a comparison of sentencing trends before and since the 1991 Act and monitoring of the behaviour of persons convicted of serious driving offences. The aim is to improve understanding so as to deter poor driving more effectively. The project began in May 1998 and is due to be completed in October 2000.
A project has recently been completed for the Department to monitor the effectiveness of the experimental drink-drive rehabilitation scheme. The research carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory and published as "Drink/driver rehabilitation courses in England and Wales" (TRL report 426) suggests that offenders who have attended an approved rehabilitation course are three times less likely to re-offend. The scheme is to be made permanent throughout Great Britain from 1 January 2000. Consideration is currently being given to further research and monitoring.
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A research project has also recently been published on "The High Risk Offenders Scheme for drink-drivers" (TRL report 394). This covers, among other categories, drivers who have been convicted more than once of driving over the limit within a 10 year period. The research has shown that reoffenders have different characteristics to the other High Risk categories.
Mr. Hilary Benn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the contribution that the planting of trees could make to meeting the United Kingdom's Kyoto targets on the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. [97034]
Mr. Mullin:
New planting of trees has taken place at a rate of 15,000 to 20,000 hectares per year since 1990 as a result of Government policy on woodland expansion. The present rate of increase in tree cover is likely to contribute about 0.25 per cent. towards the commitment under the Kyoto protocol.
It would be possible to increase this proportion by accelerating the rate of new planting. Policies and initiative schemes whereby this might be achieved are under consideration by the Government Departments responsible. The first priority, however, must be to reduce emission levels as the most effective and secure way of delivering the UK's targets.
The Government aim to publish their Draft Climate Change Programme around the turn of the year. It will set out how the Government plan to meet their Kyoto target and move towards their domestic goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 20 per cent.
Mr. Todd:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many housing starts and completions by (a) local authorities and (b) social housing providers there were in (i) 1996-97, (ii) 1997-98 and (iii) 1998-1999. [96932]
Mr. Mullin:
Figures are given in the table for the estimated number of new dwellings started and completed in England by local authorities and registered social landlords, in the latest three financial years:
| Financial year | Local authority | Registered social landlords |
|---|---|---|
| Starts | ||
| 1996-97 | 395 | 22,916 |
| 1997-98 | 259 | 19,629 |
| 1998-99 | 149 | 17,602 |
| Completions | ||
| 1996-97 | 451 | 24,535 |
| 1997-98 | 323 | 21,397 |
| 1998-99 | 194 | 18,920 |
Motorways and Trunk Roads
Mr. Jenkin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proportion
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of (a) motorways and (b) trunk roads are expected to have a residual life of (i) less than zero and (ii) zero to four years at the end of the current financial year. [97067]
Mr. Hill
[holding answer 2 November 1999]: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Peter Nutt, to write to the hon. Member.
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