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Standard Spending Assessment

Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the standard spending assessments per (a) pensioner and (b) young person under the age of 18 by county council for England and Wales in each year from 1990–91 to 2001–02, and projected for the financial year 2002–03, adjusted for inflation at current values. [36760]

Dr Whitehead: The Department does not keep data on people of pensionable age covering the entire period, nor on standard spending assessments for local authorities in Wales. A table showing, for each English county council, the total standard spending assessment per person aged 65 or over, adjusted for inflation at current values has been placed in Libraries of the House, together with a table showing the total standard spending assessment per person aged 0 to 17, adjusted for inflation at current values.

The figures are quoted as they were announced each year. It has not been possible to construct a run of figures over the period that are adjusted for changes in function or financing arrangements. Some year on year changes shown in the table are, therefore, not on a like for like basis.

Advertising

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, if he will list the publicity and advertising campaigns run by his Department in each of the last four years, specifying the (a) purpose, (b) cost to the public funds, (c) number of staff involved and (d) method of evaluation in each case. [39104]

Dr. Whitehead: For details of the publicity and advertising campaigns run by my Department in each of the last 4 years, together with purpose, cost and how we

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evaluate campaigns. I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Mr Turner) on 24 January 2002, Official Report, column 1037W, and to the replies by the then Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, my hon. Friend the Member for Stretford and Urmston (Beverley Hughes), to the hon. Member for Hertsmere (Mr. Clappison) on 20 December 2000, Official Report, columns 168–69W, and to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley) on 23 April 2001, Official Report, columns 57W–59W.

DTLR currently employs seventeen paid publicity specialists who work on a range of public information services including advertising campaigns.

Asset Transfers

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what (a) research, (b) consultation and (c) discussions his Department has carried out since 1997 on the legal definition and status of asset transfers. [38976]

Dr. Whitehead: Assets are defined in the Accounting Standards Board's Financial Reporting Standard (FRS) 5 as Xrights or other access to future economic benefits controlled by an entity as a result of past transactions or events". Future economic benefits, in this context, means that the asset will contribute in some way to the provision of services or other outputs by Departments. Control, in this context, means the ability to obtain those benefits in fulfilment of aims and objectives of the entity and to restrict the access of others.

In accounting for asset transfers we follow the guidance of HM Treasury's XResource Accounting Manual" (TRAM) and XGovernment Accounting". TRAM states at paragraph 3.2.36 that XWhere tangible fixed assets are transferred between Government Departments, other than in connection with either a transfer of functions from one Department to another or a merger of Departments, the transfer price should be calculated in accordance with an assessment of the fair values on an equivalent basis to that required by FRS 7 for the attribution of fair values to tangible fixed assets acquired on a business combination". Government Accounting, at paragraph 24.4.2, states that: XTransfers of assets (including assignments of leases) at less than full market value should be accounted for as gifts. The value of the gift will be the difference between the open market value and the price at which it is transferred".

Our accounting actions are based upon the decisions and requests of the asset owners upon whom fall the legal responsibilities of asset management.

Railway Network Grants

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the network grants for railways to which his Department is contractually committed.[39163]

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Mr. Jamieson: The profile of network grant payments is set out in Appendix D of the Rail Regulator's October 2000 Periodic Review and, reflecting the April 2001 agreement between Government and Railtrack, in the appendices to the Regulator's published letter to Railtrack of 9 April 2001.

Road Maintenance (Scotland)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive about road maintenance contracts. [39136]

Mr. Jamieson: Road maintenance contracts in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Executive.

DTLR officials regularly meet Scottish Executive officials in the fora of the Roads Liaison Group and its associated boards, which were set up last year to bring together representatives of all highway authorities in the UK to discuss and advise on issues relating to the construction and maintenance of highways.

Traffic Calming

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what guidance he gives to groups of residents where the Local Government Ombudsman rules against a local authority over the validity of a consultation prior to the introduction of a traffic calming scheme, but decides to take no further action. [38450]

Ms Keeble: It is for individual local authorities to consider what action to take following a recommendation from the Local Government Ombudsman.

Rough Sleepers

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many rough sleepers were counted in market towns in the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [37799]

Ms Keeble: On 3 December 2001 the Prime Minister announced that the Rough Sleepers Unit had achieved its target of reducing rough sleeping by at least two-thirds by 2002.

Local authorities and voluntary agencies conduct rough sleeping counts and collate the information. Tables showing all the local authority estimates and street count results for 1998, 1999, 2000 and the latest figures for 2001 were placed in the Libraries of the House on 11 December 2001. Local authorities not listed in the tables for those years submitted either an estimate of 0–10 or no estimate in their HIP returns.

Railtrack

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what information was provided to him by the administrator

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about the total level of (a) short-term and (b) long-term indebtedness of Railtrack at the point of implementation of the administration order. [39428]

Mr. Jamieson: None.

Vehicle Excise Duty

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of the extension of the reduced rate of vehicle excise duty to cars with engines up to 1200cc. [38522]

Mr. Jamieson: We have not yet undertaken any formal analysis of the raising of the threshold for the reduced rate of vehicle excise duty to cars with engines up to 1200cc. We intend to assess in due course the impact of the range of reforms to vehicle excise duty for cars introduced between 1999 and 2001.

Shoreham Port Authority

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions by what means the current vacancies on the Board of Shoreham Port Authority have been publicised. [39238]

Mr. Jamieson: The current vacancies on the Shoreham Port Authority were advertised in the local and regional press, including:


The Trades Union Congress were also invited to nominate candidates for one of the advertised posts.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what opportunities constituents of the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham living in the vicinity of Shoreham Harbour have to be considered as recruits to the Board of the Shoreham Port Authority. [39239]

Mr. Jamieson: Currently, three appointments to the Shoreham Port Authority are made directly by the Secretary of State. These three appointments are publicly advertised and it is open to all who meet the criteria as set in the advertisement to apply for those posts.

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Six other appointments are made by the Secretary of State following consultation with various stakeholder groups. The practice is for those groups to nominate appropriate candidates based on a criteria set by the Shoreham Port Authority.

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