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Free Parking
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had with each of the London borough councils as to their policy of providing free parking facilities within their borough; and if he will make a statement. [108016]
Mr. Hill: The Secretary of State's "Traffic Management and Parking Guidance for London", published in February 1998, a copy of which is in the Library, gives advice to the London boroughs on the development of a parking strategy and the level of parking charges, which must be set for traffic management reasons. I am in contact with the London boroughs (including regular meetings with the Association of London Government) on all their transport and traffic management issues.
Departmental Staff
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what child care provision was made available in the financial year 1998-99 for use by (i) his departmental staff and (ii) employees of executive agencies under the control of his Department; what was the cost to parents of this child care; and how many parents used the facilities. [108832]
Ms Beverley Hughes: My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office set out in his reply of 15 February 2000, Official Report, columns 518-20W, the importance of family friendly policies to the Civil Service Reform programme, and action in respect of the pilot studies.
In this Department (i) DETR(C) provides 11 subsidised workplace nursery places. The DETR(C) subsidy for nursery places is 48 per cent. The weekly cost to parents for each place for financial year 1998-99 ranged from £79.00 to £84.50. A total of 10 parents used the nurseries during that period.
DETR(C) participates in a Holiday Playscheme open to permanent members of staff with children between the ages of five and 12 years. The Department funds
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50 per cent. of the cost of places. The daily cost to parents in financial year 1998-99 was £8.06. A total number of 28 parents used the playscheme.
Provision of child care differs across the Executive Agencies. Most provide holiday playschemes and subsidised nursery places. The cost to parents for the financial year 1998-99 ranged from £52.00 to £80.00 per week for a nursery place, and between £5.00 to £9.00 a day for a playscheme place. The total number of parents in the Executive Agencies making use of child care provision ranged from five to 40.
The Department and its Executive Agencies will reimburse child care costs incurred when work requirements demand a change to a member of staff's normal working hours eg to attend a training course.
Caroline Flint:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what provisions are made available to (i) departmental staff and (ii) employees of executive agencies under the control of his Department, for (a) maternity leave, (b) maternity pay, (c) paternity leave, (d) parental leave, (e) flexible working hours, (f) part-time work, (g) job sharing, (h) leave to care for sick children, (i) home-working, (j) term-time contracts, (k) annual hours contract, (l) child care allowances, (m) careers' leave and (n) career break schemes; and what criteria are used to judge eligibility in each case. [108849]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office set out in his reply of 15 February 2000, Official Report, columns 519-22W, corporate actions that we are taking as part of the civil service reform programme to improve the balance between work and private life. In this Department (including its Agencies) staff with one year of service or more are entitled to 18 weeks maternity leave on full pay plus up to 34 weeks unpaid maternity leave in the period of 11 weeks before and 41 weeks after childbirth. Staff with more than 26 weeks, but less than one year, of service are entitled to 18 weeks maternity leave with Statutory Maternity Pay and 22 weeks unpaid leave in the period of 11 weeks before and 29 weeks after childbirth. Staff with less than 26 weeks service are entitled to 18 weeks unpaid maternity leave which may be extended by a further 11 weeks.
Across the Department, paternity leave ranges from between five and 10 days on full pay. This leave may be taken either at the time of the birth or during the following weeks. Unpaid paternity leave of varying lengths is offered in some parts of the Department. Parental leave applies across the Department as set out in the Maternity and Parental Leave etc. Regulations 1999. Departmental staff are covered by arrangements based on the default provisions as set out in the Maternity and Parental Leave etc. Regulations 1999.
Flexible working hours are, subject to management requirements, available to staff across the Department. A variety of arrangements and opportunities for part-time working and job sharing are available throughout the Department with some parts now opening up all posts to part-time and job sharing unless it is operationally vital that they be full time only. Across the Department paid leave up to five days may be granted to DETR(C) staff to
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take care of or make arrangements for dealing with the illness of a sick child. Additionally a period of unpaid leave may be granted if the illness continues.
Homeworking is available throughout the Department subject to the cost and business implications. Requests to work from home are generally taken on a case-by-case basis. Requests to work to term time or annual hours contracts will be considered throughout the Department. Child care support throughout the Department ranges from participation in subsidised workplace nurseries and holiday playschemes and reimbursement of additional child care costs incurred by attending training or other work events.
Career breaks of up to five years unpaid are open to staff throughout the Department. In all the above cases the criteria used to judge eligibility is based on statutory requirements and/or on staff handbooks and particular Agency guidelines. In some cases management discretion will apply.
Caroline Flint:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions in each of the last five years, what proportion of women employees in (i) his Department and (ii) executive agencies under the control of his Department (a) returned to work after childbirth, (b) returned to work after childbirth before the end of maternity leave, indicating the (1) time-range and (2) mean time, (c) returned to work after childbirth on reduced working hours, indicating the average hours worked and (d) returned to work after childbirth full-time and subsequently reduced their hours. [108971]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office set out in his reply of 15 February 2000, Official Report, column 519W, corporate actions that we are taking as part of the Civil Service reform programme to improve the balance between work and private life. In this Department (including its Agencies) the number of women who have returned to work after childbirth in the last five years are as follows:
| Women returning after childbirth | Number of which returned before end of maternity leave | |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 129 | 15 |
| 1996 | 116 | 22 |
| 1997 | 150 | 35 |
| 1998 | 141 | 28 |
| 1999 | 118 | 25 |
We are unable to provide reliable information on the time range and mean time for staff returning to work after childbirth and before the end of maternity leave.
As regards the number of women returning to work after childbirth on reduced working hours, we do not have figures for 1995 and 1996; however, the figures for 1997 to 1999 are:
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Mr. O'Hara:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what further measures he plans to prevent persons who are unfit to drive from being licensed to drive vehicles on public roads. [109814]
Mr. Hill:
The present legislative and administrative systems are intended to allow only those who qualify to be granted a driving licence. It is not at present planned to introduce further measures. However, the statutory requirement to declare medical conditions that may affect a person's fitness to drive will continue to be reinforced through publicity and, with their co-operation, through the medical profession.
Angela Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action he is taking to combat the avoidance of car insurance. [109579]
Mr. Hill:
Evidence of valid insurance must be produced when a vehicle is licensed and the Vehicle Excise Duty is paid. Police have wide powers to stop vehicles and check insurance. As a result more than 250,000 motorists are convicted of insurance evasion each year. When vehicles are clamped and impounded for not displaying a tax disc an insurance certificate must be produced in order to buy the disc and reclaim the vehicle. The department is supporting the Association of British Insurers in setting up a computerised insurance database with links to the vehicle register. This should be operational by autumn next year.
Angela Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to introduce measures to make the displaying of a car insurance certificate on the car compulsory. [109580]
Mr. Hill:
Display of a certificate would provide no assurance that the driver was covered by an insurance policy or was complying with policy conditions. Although the Government have not discarded the possibility of a requirement to display evidence of insurance, it appears at present that other measures, such as a computerised insurance database, would offer a better approach to the problem of the irresponsible minority of drivers who fail to take out insurance.
13 in 1997
22 in 1998
The average hours worked ranged from between 21.3 to 23.9. Finally, the number of women who returned to work after childbirth full-time and subsequently reduced their hours are:
16 in 1995 and 1996;
23 in 1997;
38 in 1998; and
23 in 1999.
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