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Compulsory Retirement
Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will make a statement on compulsory retirement of employees before the legal retirement age; [37428]
- (2) what regulations exist to permit companies to enforce retirement on male employees at the age of 60 instead of 65. [37426]
Mr. McCartney: There is no legal retirement age and there are no regulations covering retirement age. The employer sets the age of retirement from a company, often based on the state pension age. If the employer has an occupational pension scheme, the retirement age may be linked to the normal age at which the pension becomes payable.
The Department encourages employers, through the Code of Practice on Age Diversity in Employment, and the Age Positive campaign, to adopt flexible approaches to retirement that benefit both them and their employees. Flexible retirement policies can bring business benefits to employers, and give individuals the opportunity to remain in work longer.
Departmental Overseas Visits
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many overseas visits have been undertaken by parliamentary private secretaries in his Department at departmental expense in each of the last four years; and at what cost to public funds. [36820]
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Mr. Darling: Parliamentary private secretaries supporting Ministers in this Department have not travelled overseas on Government business on any occasion within the last two years. Information requested for the two preceding years is not available.
TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND
THE REGIONS
Public Sector Transport Activities
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much private finance has been raised for public sector transport activities in the last month; and how much he plans to raise by the end of this financial year. [9778]
Mr. Spellar [holding answer 23 October 2001]: In 2001–02 to date, we have signed an £85 million contract for the Highways Agency's traffic control centre project. Public-private partnership contracts for transport signed since May 1997 will deliver new capital investment in excess of £1,180 million. In addition, the National Air Traffic Services PPP, signed last year, is expected to deliver £800 million of new investment over the next 10 years. London Underground's Tube Modernisation Plans, the contracts for which are expected to be signed shortly, will deliver £13 billion of investment over 15 years.
Railtrack
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether Mr. Iain Coucher is (a) drawing a salary and (b) receiving another form of payment for working on the establishment of a company limited by guarantee to bid for Railtrack. [30238]
Mr. Jamieson: The services of Iain Coucher are obtained through a contract with the Strategic Rail Authority and Coucher Pender Ltd.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions on what basis Mr. Iain McAllister is employed to develop a company limited by guarantee to bid for Railtrack. [30239]
Mr. Jamieson: Iain McAllister has been appointed to give strategic direction to the CLG team. He continues to be employed by Ford Motor Company Ltd., who have agreed his availability for this part-time role.
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if the Government have received a request to guarantee or underwrite the finances of the proposed company limited by guarantee for Railtrack. [33997]
Mr. Spellar: Discussions between Government and potential bidders for Railtrack are commercially confidential.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether his Department has a right of veto over the recommendations of an interim review by the Rail Regulator into the financial requirements for Railtrack in administration for Control Period 2. [36611]
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Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will hold an inquiry into the dealings between Railtrack and Newt International of Portsmouth; what (a) working relationship and (b) outstanding contracts there are between Railtrack and Newt International; and if he will make a statement. [36307]
Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given today [Ref: 35005].
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what contingency plans he has made for the provision of extra funding to the Railtrack administrator if the administration period is not over by the end of September. [36312]
Mr. Jamieson: We keep the progress of administration under close scrutiny.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when the total amount of the application for state aid consent from the European Commission for Railtrack was communicated to the Financial Times. [36314]
Mr. Jamieson: The Financial Times has not been briefed by my Department on this matter.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the allocation of the projected funding requirement by the Railtrack administrator by the end of September. [36311]
Mr. Jamieson: This is a matter for the administrator.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his latest estimate is of the public sector (a) direct and (b) indirect financial support expected to be required by Railtrack in administration. [34614]
Mr. Spellar: Railtrack will continue to receive income from grant and other sources as set out in the regulator's October 2000 periodic review and in the 2 April 2001 agreement between Government and Railtrack.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 8 February 2002, Official Report, column 1188W, on Railtrack, if he will provide examples of failure for each of the key areas of failure listed; what lessons have been learned from each of the key areas of failure listed; and what assessment of those examples of companies limited by guarantee listed has been conducted by his Department. [37581]
Mr. Jamieson: The failures are well known and well documented. Examples are set out in the report of the Select Committee on Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs, entitled "Rail Investment: renewal, maintenance and development of the national rail network" (Sixth Report of Session 2000–01, 29 March 2001) and in the Transport, Local Government and the
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Regions Select Committee report on "Passenger Rail Franchising and the Future of Railway infrastructure" (First Report of Session 2001–02, Vol 1, 31 January 2002).
It will be for potential bidders to set out their proposals for addressing them in the light of the guidelines issued by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 31 October 2001.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which (a) train operating companies and (b) trade union bodies are to be represented on the board of the proposed company limited by guarantee that seeks to be Railtrack's successor. [37239]
Mr. Spellar: It is for the team developing a bid based on the concept of a company limited by guarantee to make a proposal to the administrator, including proposals on the membership of the proposed company.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) how much the Government have invested through (a) Railtrack, (b) Ernst and Young and (c) other associated individuals and organisations since Railtrack was put into the hands of receivers; and if he will make a statement; [36724]
- (2) since Railtrack was put into the hands of receivers whether an upper limit (a) has been and (b) will be put on the amount the Government will invest in Railtrack. [36723]
Mr. Jamieson: Railtrack plc is currently in railway administration, not receivership. During this period the Government have entered into a loan agreement with the administrator, copies of which were placed in the House Library on 17 October 2001, and through support set out in the October 2000 regulatory settlement and the 2 April 2001 agreement between Government and Railtrack.
Departmental Salary Costs
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what proportion of the departmental expenditure limit in 2001–02 will be accounted for by salary costs and pension contributions. [32005]
Dr. Whitehead: The proportion of the departmental expenditure limit for 2001–02 that will be accounted for by salary costs and pension contributions will be 2.7 per cent.
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