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6 Feb 2003 : Column 363W—continued

Theft/Fraud

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much money has been lost by his Department and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies through (a) fraud and (b) theft for each year since 1996–97. [92457]

Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) of 4 February 2003, Official Report, column 144W.

From 1997–97 to 2001–02 transport formed part of the DETR and DTLR. For information relating to that period, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for DTLR (Dr. Whitehead) to the right hon. and learned Member for North-East Fife (Mr. Campbell) on 29 January 2002, Official Report, columns 178–79W). Transport specific information for previous years is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Government Car Service

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many motor vehicles supplied to (a) himself, (b) Ministers of State, (c) Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State, (d) Special Advisers and (e) departmental officials as part of their employment package or terms of office will have the congestion charge paid out of public monies. [95297]

Mr. Jamieson: Ministers at this Department, including myself, and the Permanent Secretary have the use of cars for official business while they are in office. These cars are supplied by the Government Car and Despatch Agency and the cost is met by the Department. As it has been for many years and over successive Governments.

Hire Boats

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what arrangements are in place to ensure (a) that all boats which ply for hire, offer pleasure trips, offer sea angling trips or are available for private hire are seaworthy, (b) that the skipper is competent and (c) that satisfactory public and passenger liability insurance is held; [96145]

(2) what the role of the Marine and Coastguard Agency is in relation to the registration and licensing of passenger vessels, which ply for hire, offer pleasure trips, offer sea angling trips or may be hired privately; [96147]

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(3) what authority is charged with the licensing of boats carrying 12 or fewer passengers in Scotland. [96144]

Mr. Jamieson: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is responsible for matters relating to the safety of sea-going passenger vessels which ply for hire privately around the UK coast. The vessels must be surveyed, operated and certificated to specific standards.

The MCA Codes of Practice cover commercially operated vessels under 24 metres in length, operating with up to 12 passengers. The MCA or an authorised Certifying Authority will issue Code Vessel Certificates.

The skipper of such a vessel is required to hold a qualification appropriate to its operation. The MCA does not require insurance as part of the issue of a Code Vessel Certificate, but insurance is strongly recommended.

Vessels that have Code of Practice certificates are not required to hold Local Authority licences. However, under the provisions of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, Local Authorities may still issue licences provided that the vessel has a UK Load Line or Load Line Exemption Certificate. Such licences are acceptable in place of certificates issued to vessels under the relevant MCA Code of Practice.

There is no requirement for a vessel to be registered at the Registry of Shipping and Seamen.

National Minimum Wage

Mr. Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which government organisation is responsible for enforcing the national minimum wage legislation on UK registered ships; what efforts are being made to ensure compliance; and how many cases were dealt with by the relevant body in each year since the legislation took effect. [95676]

Mr. Jamieson: Enforcement of the national minimum wage is carried out by the Inland Revenue's National Minimum Wage Compliance Teams, on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Compliance Officers investigate every complaint received about employers failing to pay their workers the minimum wage. This includes complaints from individual workers and from third parties. They ensure that the appropriate minimum wage is being paid and that the workers receive any arrears of wages due to them. The officers also investigate other employers identified as being most at risk of non-compliance.

There are no figures of the number of inspections carried out on employers of UK registered ships.

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If workers have reasonable grounds to believe that they are entitled to the national minimum wage but are not receiving it, they can contact the National Minimum Wage Helpline (0845 6000 678) for further advice and assistance.

Office of the Rail Regulator

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) technical and financial

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contracts, (b) technical consultants used on a call-off basis and (c) financial consultants used on a call-off basis by the Office of the Rail Regulator, since April 2002, the nature of the assignment for each consultant, and the value of work done by each consultant. [93221]

Mr. Jamieson: The following table shows contracts that have been awarded by the Office of the Rail Regulator since April 2002.

Consultant	Purpose
Accenture	Provision of advice on the acquisition of Railtrack plc by Network Rail
Booz Allen Hamilton	West Coast Route Modernisation: assessment of efficient costs
Accenture	Interim review economic advice on expenditure by Network Rail
Booz Allen Hamilton	Economic advice on small enhancement schemes
Mason Communications	Railtrack renewals and efficiency review (periodic review)—assessment of Railtrack's mobile telecoms installation program (GSM-R)
CDL	Assessment of, and advice on, Network Rail's compliance with licence condition 24 asset register
OXERA	Interim review regulatory economic advice
MVA Consortium	Railtrack performance review for control period 2
NERA	Economic advice on competition questions
Needlemans	Incremental output statement (stations enhancement)—advice
RSM Robson Rhodes	General corporate finance advice on Railtrack/Network Rail and industry
Mason Communications	Railtrack renewals and efficiency review (periodic review)—assessment of Railtrack's fixed line telecoms installation program (FTN)
IMR Solutions	Regulatory accounting and financial modelling advice
CDL	Assessment of, and advice on, Network Rail's compliance with licence condition 24 asset register
NERA	Review of incentive framework for Network Rail
Mason Communications	Railtrack renewals and efficiency review (periodic review)—Data Room for GSM-R (Railtrack Telecoms)
Sciotech	Advice on freight vehicle usage costs
Horton 4 Consulting	General economic advice
Shell IT International	Asset register advice
AEA Technology	Capacity Map Software—to assist in determining the allocation of capacity under the track access approval regime
NERA	Specific competition economics advice
D. Burford	Accountancy services
Countrywide Porter Novelli	Risk Assessment Workshop
Europe Economics	Economic advice on liability regime for new track access contracts
DTZ Pieda Consulting	Advice on network licence condition 26: land disposals
Europe Economics	Regulatory economic advice relating to rail freight
NERA	Review of industry licence fees

The value of individual contracts is confidential for commercial reasons, but the total expenditure to date is £1,379,281.

Railways (External Consultants)

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) technical and financial contracts, (b) technical consultants used on a call-off basis and (c) financial consultants used on a call-off basis, by Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate since April 2002, the nature of the assignment for each consultant, and the value of work done by each consultant. [93228]

Mr. Jamieson: The Health and Safety Executive does not let financial contracts and therefore has no information in respect of financial contracts or financial consultants.

The technical contracts commissioned on behalf of HMRI since April 2002 are as follows:

Contractor	Title
(a) External and Internal Research
ABB Eutech Ltd.	Control and Protective systems: Assessment methodology
University College, London	FN curves and criterion lines for railways and other transport modes
AEA Rail	Classification of railway schemes
Competence Assurance Solutions Ltd.	Classification of railway schemes
National Economic Research Associates	Review of the economic aspects of the ERTMS project team report
Mr. P Grant	Safe movement of trains—independent evaluation of initial drafting
(b) External support—Call-off arrangements
WS Atkins	Technical aspects of SPAD investigations
Serco Assurance	West Ealing Derailment—forensic examination of track

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The values of individual contracts are commercially confidential, but the total cost of these contracts to date is £337,904.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) technical and financial contracts, (b) technical consultants used on a call-off basis and (c) financial consultants used on a call-off basis by (i) the Rail Delivery Directorate, (ii) the Railways

6 Feb 2003 : Column 368W

Restructuring Directorate and (iii) other directorates within his Department carrying out work relating to the railways, since April 2002, what the nature of the assignment was for each consultant, and what the value of work done by each consultant was. [93237]

Mr. Jamieson: Since April 2002 the Department has been using the following consultants to give the advice listed:

Consultant	Advice
On a call-off basis
Saxton Bampfylde Hever plc	Advice on senior recruitment
Eversheds	Advice on rail pension issues
Leeds Institute for Transport Studies	Advice on the prevention of railway accidents
Other contracts
Arthur Andersen	Accountancy advice
Citigroup (Schroder Salomon Smith Barney)	Financial advice
CMS Cameron McKenna	Legal advice on rail matters
Faber Maunsell	Development of a national rail model
Finsbury Limited	Specialised communications work
KPMG	Accountancy and taxation advice
Mercers Management Consulting	Management consultancy advice
Mott Parsons Gibb	Project representatives for the channel tunnel rail link
Partnerships UK	Advice on matters relating to rail policy
PKF	Accountancy advice
Saunders and Dolleymore	Trade mark services
Transport and Travel Research	Development of a framework for research into attitudes, perceptions and expectations of rail travel
United Kingdom Accreditation Service	Development of an assessment regime.

The value of work done by individual consultants and advisers is commercially confidential but, for all of them together, expenditure so far this financial year amounts to £21.7 million.

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