---

Secondments

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many BP employees are on secondment to his Department; for what purposes; on what terms; and how many BP employees have been on secondment to his Department since January 2000. [45888]

Dr. Whitehead: There have been no BP employees on secondment to this Department since January 2000.

25 Mar 2002 : Column 672W

Multi-modal Studies

Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he intends to make an announcement about the South-East Manchester Multi Modal Study. [45768]

Ms Keeble: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend (Mr. Spellar) to my hon. Friend the Member for Rochdale (Mrs. Lorna Fitzsimons) on 21 March 2002, Official Report, columns 492W-493W.

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what consultation there has been between the consultants undertaking the London to south and south-west multi-modal study and the Thames Valley multi-modal study on recommendations regarding the M4 from London to Reading. [45452]

Mr. Byers: There have been frequent meetings between the two sets of consultants undertaking these two multi modal studies, and between the Government Offices for the south-east and south-west who are chairing the steering groups for the studies.

Congestion

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the level of inter-urban congestion is on roads in England. [46194]

Mr. Jamieson: To provide a baseline against which to monitor progress towards the congestion target in the 10-year Plan for Transport, we will publish estimates of congestion in 2000 later in the year.

Signposting

Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to improve signposting on roads and motorways; and if he will make a statement. [45957]

Mr. Jamieson: The responsibility for placing and maintaining signs lies with the relevant traffic authority. We have published good practice guidance on the design and use of signs, which is available from the Stationery Office, in the Traffic Signs Manual and Local Transport Notes, and the Highways Agency has recently updated its standard on sign maintenance. We are currently consulting on updated guidance for the provision of white and brown direction signs to tourist attractions and facilities in England, and we will be publishing updated guidance on warning signs and road markings when revised Traffic Signs Regulations are introduced later this year.

Local Authority Contracts

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make it his policy to remove the right for local authorities to charge successful tenders a percentage of the total tender price. [45974]

Dr. Whitehead: I am not aware that local authorities do charge successful tenderers a percentage of the total tender price. If the hon. Member would like to provide me with more information, I will consider further.

25 Mar 2002 : Column 673W

East of England Development Agency

Mrs. Shephard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the annual salary costs are of (a) the chairman and (b) the chief executive of the East of England Development Agency in 2001–02. [45510]

Dr. Whitehead: In 2001–02 the salary costs for the chairman of the East of England Development Agency are £46,634, and the salary costs for the chief executive are £100,590 plus a bonus yet to be determined.

Planning Inspectorate

Ms Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what performance target he plans to set the Planning Inspectorate Executive Agency for 2002–03. [46482]

Ms Keeble: The Planning Inspectorate has a key role to play in delivering quality services to all users of the planning system.

This year, for the first time, we are setting targets for the handling of enforcement appeals. The Planning Green Paper underlines that better enforcement is a key factor in raising public confidence in the planning system. Improved handling of enforcement appeals will support delivery of that objective.

We are also setting a new target for the handling of called-in planning applications and recovered appeals by the inspectorate. This is part of our Green Paper drive to deliver essential improvements in the decision-making times in these cases.

We will be working with the inspectorate to consider ways in which performance on planning appeals might be improved further in later years without compromising quality.

The targets for 2002–03 are as follows:

Timeliness

(a) Planning appeals

80 per cent. of all planning appeals decided by written representation to be decided within 16 weeks;

80 per cent. of all planning appeals decided by hearing to be decided within 22 weeks;

80 per cent. of all planning appeals decided by inquiry to be decided within 30 weeks;

(b) Enforcement appeals

80 per cent. of all enforcement appeals decided by written representation to be decided within 32 weeks;

80 per cent. of all enforcement appeals decided by hearing to be decided within 33 weeks;

80 per cent. of all enforcement appeals decided by inquiry to be decided within 43 weeks;

(c) Called-in and recovered appeals

to process 80 per cent. of all called-in and recovered appeal cases within 12 weeks from close of the inquiry to delivery of the inspector's report to the Secretary of State.

(d) Development plan inquiries

to provide an inspector for a development plan inquiry in at least 90 per cent. of cases on the date requested by the local authority, provided that the objection period has ended and at least six month's notice has been given;

to deliver 90 per cent. of inspector's reports on development plan inquiries to local authorities according to time scales agreed under service agreements.

25 Mar 2002 : Column 674W

Quality

To satisfy the Advisory Panel on Standards for the Planning Inspectorate, and thus the Secretary of State and the first Minister of the National Assembly for Wales, annually and following rigorous monitoring, that the quality of all the inspectorate's work is being maintained at a high standard, with 99 per cent. of its case work free from justified complaint. Information and guidance

To survey customer satisfaction with the inspectorate's performance and to act upon the results.

Wembley Stadium (Transport Links)

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the redevelopment of Wembley Park underground station to facilitate transit to and from a national stadium at Wembley. [45202]

Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. friend the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Brent, North (Mr. Gardiner) on 12 March 2002, and which I understand appeared in the Official Report, on 19 March 2002, column 237W.

Driver and Vechicle Licensing Agency

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many complaints were received by (a) the DVLA, (b) his Department and (c) other bodies with reference to the process by which licence applications are processed by the DVLA, broken down by the nature of each complaint, in each year since 1997. [45426]

Mr. Jamieson: Available information about the number of formal complaints received about the DVLA driving licence application process is shown as follows.

Table 1 shows the number of formal customer complaints received by DVLA broken down by the nature of the complaint.

Table 2 shows the number of official correspondence cases received by DVLA, which may include complaints, but detailed analysis figures are not available. Of these, private secretary office cases are received via the Department. Further analysis of Table 2 data is not available without a special exercise at disproportionate cost. DVLA receive 5.4 million driving licence applications every year.

The Department and DVLA have no information on complaints received by other bodies.

25 Mar 2002 : Column 675W

Table 1: DVLA formal customer complaints

Complaint category	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01
Driving licence applications
Non receipt of a driving licence	48	59	130	92
Other driving licence complaints	153	227	551	139
Drivers medical complaint	25	75	149	174
Documents lost at DVLA	6	7	46	154
Processing time/procedures(34)	5	6	18	322
DVLA forms	5	4	36	28
Total	242	378	930	909

⁽³⁴⁾ 1997–98 to 1999–2000 data are for both driver and vehicle complaints.

Table 2: Official correspondence (which may be complaints)

Case type	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01
Private secretary office	232	253	510	905
MP direct	356	441	996	1,101

Note:

The figures are shown in financial years.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent changes there have been in the (a) management, (b) computerisation and (c) other aspects of the DVLA related to the process by which licence applications are processed; and if he will make a statement. [45413]

Mr. Jamieson: The second EC directive on driver licensing resulted in significant changes to the management, computerisation and other aspects of DVLA's processes relating to the issue of driving licences. Prior to July 1998 drivers received paper licences. From this point photocard licences were introduced on a phased basis. All licences issued by DVLA are now in this form.

The changes have meant that photographs and signatures are captured electronically for reproduction on the new style licence. As it now contains a photograph identity checking procedures have been tightened up considerably, compared with those in place for the issue of paper licences. Ministers decided that from April 1999 identity documentation should be accepted to support identity.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the process by which licence applications are processed by the DVLA; what steps his Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to make this process more effective; and if he will make a statement. [45412]

Mr. Jamieson: The process associated with the issue of driving licences has been the subject of continuous review and improvement since photocards were introduced in July 1998. Holders of UK passports and those in receipt of state retirement pensions can now have their applications checked at some 750 post offices with the documents returned immediately, thereby reducing the need to send their documents direct to Swansea.

The introduction of electronic interchange of information about identity between DVLA and UK Passport Services is being actively explored. New versions of forms and leaflets are introduced regularly taking customers views into account, which has reduced the rate of return of applications significantly.

25 Mar 2002 : Column 676W

---