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Private Finance Initiative Consultants
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the total external spend by his Department was on Private Finance Initiative consultants in each of the last four years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PFI consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by his Department over this period; and if he will make a statement. [31041]
Dr. Whitehead: The specific information about the use of consultants to advise on PFI projects can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. I have placed in the Library a list of the consultancy firms employed by DTLR, its executive agencies and sponsored bodies.
Affordable Housing
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what assessment he has made of the Housing Corporation's approved development programme for the number of affordable housing units in rural settlements; and if he will make a statement; [31160]
- (2) pursuant to his answer of 10 January 2002, Official Report, columns 975–76W, on affordable housing, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the underlying trend in the number of affordable housing units in rural settlements with a population of 3,000 or less; and if he will list them. [31245]
Ms Keeble: The amount of new affordable housing built in recent years has declined because of reductions suffered by the Housing Corporation's capital programme in the mid-1990s, and a rapid increase in scheme costs.
In the 2000 Spending Review we provided significant additional resources for housing: the Housing Corporation's approved development programme will almost double to over £1.2 billion by 2003–04; and we have doubled the Corporation's programme for affordable
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housing in small rural settlements (with less than 3,000 people) from 800 in 2000–01 to 1,600 homes a year by 2003–04, with 1,100 homes in 2001–02.
As announced in the Rural White Paper, we expect 9,000 affordable homes to be delivered annually in rural districts by 2003–04 through Housing Corporation and local authority funding and by judicious use of planning powers.
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 10 January 2002, Official Report, column 975–76W, on affordable housing, if he will list the number of affordable housing units in rural settlements by region in each year since 1990. [31346]
Ms Keeble: I will write to the hon. Member with a regional breakdown for England of the number of affordable housing units in rural settlements (with a population of 3,000 or less) funded by the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme and through local authority social housing grant since 1991–92.
Information for 1990–91 is not available, and information about the number of affordable housing units completed through the planning system without public subsidy is not held centrally.
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many affordable housing units were provided by local authorities through local authority funding in rural settlements in each year since 1990. [31159]
Ms Keeble: I will send the hon. Member a table showing affordable housing units in rural settlements in England with a population of 3,000 or less funded by local authorities through local authority social housing grant since 1991–92.
Information for 1990–91 is not available.
Safety Bill
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he expects his proposed safety Bill to be presented to the House. [31235]
Dr. Whitehead: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 19 October 2001, Official Report, column 1364W.
Railway Safety
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many (a) warning letters and (b) enforcement notices have been given by the Health and Safety Executive to (i) Railtrack and (ii) train operating companies for each year since 1995–96; and if he will provide details of each such letter or notice. [31234]
Mr. Jamieson: The information on the number of warning letters could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
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The number of enforcement notices (prohibition and improvement) issued on the railway industry by HSE are:
| Railtrack | TOCs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1995–96 | 17 | 7 |
| 1996–97 | 10 | 11 |
| 1997–98 | 7 | 22 |
| 1998–99 | 7 | 14 |
| 1999–2000 | 18 | 28 |
| 2000–01 | 25 | 26 |
| 2001–02(2) | 40 | 34 |
(2) Up to 31 January 2002
Details of enforcement notices could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) if he will list the prosecutions of train operating companies by the Health and Safety Executive for failure to meet targets for reducing the incidents of signals passed at danger in each year since 1995–96; [31197]
- (2) if he will list the prosecutions of Railtrack by the Health and Safety Executive for failure to meet targets for improvements to signals to reduce incidents of signals passed at danger in each year since 1995–96. [31198]
Mr. Jamieson: There have been no such prosecutions for failure to meet such targets.
Organ Donation
Matthew Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what action he is taking to encourage councils to include organ donor registration forms in their electoral registration form; [31350]
- (2) how many councils include organ donor registration forms in their electoral registration form. [31351]
Dr. Whitehead: While it is the responsibility of each electoral registration officer (ERO) to decide what additional literature to include when issuing electoral registration forms, we asked the Association of Electoral Administrators, prior to the canvass in October 2000, to encourage EROs to include organ donation literature. Information about how many EROs do this is not collected.
Electoral Register
Mr. Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps the Government are taking to allow local authorities to make the electoral register available for commercial purposes. [31216]
Dr. Whitehead: We intend to publish shortly a paper setting out the Government's intentions for regulations making provision, with effect from the 2002 canvass, about the sale of electoral registers to commercial organisations. Under current legislation, in the light of a recent High Court judgment, electoral registration officers must continue to sell registers, but when selling to commercial organisations must in general exclude the particulars of electors who have objected to their details being included in such cases.
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Associated British Ports
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions for what reason a civil servant from his Department accompanied Associated British Ports to a meeting with the Tug Company Adstream UK Ltd. on 11 January. [31535]
Mr. Jamieson: An official from my Department was visiting the harbour authority on 11 January as part of the Department's monitoring to confirm the assurances which have been given by the harbour authority that the safe operation of the Humber ports will not be affected by the dispute with the Humber pilots. He found that the harbour master was due to attend a meeting with the tug company, tug skippers and crew representatives; and it was agreed by all the parties that his attendance would enable the Department to know first hand of any safety concerns relating to the tug operation.
Metropolitan Line
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many delays were caused by technical faults of (a) signals and points and (b) trains on the Metropolitan line in each of the last five years. [31370]
Mr. Jamieson: For the number of delays caused by signals and points failures on the Metropolitan line in each of the last five years, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Westbury (Dr. Murrison) on 18 July 2001, Official Report, column 197W.
For the number of delays attributed to problems with rolling stock on the Metropolitan line over the same period, I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Minister for Transport gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, West (Mr. Thomas) on 21 January 2002, Official Report, column 570W.
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