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25 Feb 2003 : Column 475W—continued
LORD CHANCELLOR
Bow Street Magistrates Court
Mr. Malins: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department pursuant to her answer of 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 644W,
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concerning Bow Street Magistrates Court and night sittings, when she expects to be able to write to the hon. Member for Woking. [98648]
Yvette Cooper: The Final Evaluation Report for the Extended Court Sitting Hours pilot was published on 27 January 2003. I am writing to the hon. Member for Woking (Mr. Malins) with a copy of that report.
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In regard to the questions raised in his previous question, I can now inform him that:
- (1) the night sessions at Bow Street Magistrates Court, which ran between the dates of 17 May 2002 and 28 September 2002, from 6pm until midnight on Friday and Saturday evenings, operated for a total of 200 hours; (a) during the course of the pilot 155 (42 per cent.) of cases were disposed of at first hearing; and (b) 213 (58 per cent.) of cases were remanded over until a later date;
(2) the total cost for all agencies concerned in the pilot operation of the night session at Bow Street Magistrates Court was £1,198,669.
Laptop Computers
Dr. Cable: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many laptop computers were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 1995; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; what their cost was; and if he will make a statement. [98704]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Prior to 1999 the figures for laptops supplied for use in my Department cannot be produced without incurring disproportionate cost. The figures for the years from 1999 onwards are as follows:
| (a) Ministers and special advisers | (b) Officials | |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 2 | 674 |
| 2000 | 2 | 693 |
| 2001 | 2 | 689 |
| 2002 | 2 | 706 |
The figures for (i) lost and (ii) stolen laptops are as follows:
| (i) Lost | (ii) Stolen | Cost (£) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | — | 9 | — |
| 1996 | — | 12 | — |
| 1997 | — | 2 | — |
| 1998 | — | 4 | 4,300 |
| 1999 | — | 2 | 1,200 |
| 2000 | — | 3 | 2,500 |
| 2001 | 1 | 15 | 22,500 |
| 2002 | — | 14 | 19,600 |
Note:
Only officials' laptops have been lost or stolen; we do not have any figures for costs before 1998.
The Department is actively promoting guidance on the security of IT equipment, increasing staff awareness in this area.
Legal Services Commission
Mr. Malins: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage salary increase was awarded to the staff of the Legal Services Commission, broken down by grade, in (a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02. [98645]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
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TRANSPORT
Heavy Goods Vehicles (Northern Ireland)
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the number of additional HGVs which will be required on roads in Northern Ireland if the working time directive is applied. [99124]
Mr. Jamieson: My officials are discussing the likely impact of the directive on the UK as a whole, with representatives from both sides of industry. Much will depend on current vehicle usage, the amount of working time drivers currently perform and whether existing operations and shift patterns need to be revised.
A regulatory impact assessment will be published later this year, alongside a consultation document on how the directive could be transposed into UK law.
Airports (Police Services)
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list those airports whose operators are not charged for police services and presence; and for what reason charges are not made; [98564]
- (2) if he will list those airports which are designated for police purposes, and for which the airport operators are charged for police services. [98565]
Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 3 February 2003,Official Report, column 34W, which explained the current situation with regard to the designation of airports for uniformed policing purposes. There are presently nine designated airports, the listing of which would be inappropriate on security grounds.
Departmental Spending (Ashford)
Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what provisions he has made in his departmental budget for the spending entailed in the Sustainable Communities plan in and around Ashford; and if he will make a statement. [98637]
Mr. Jamieson: The Highways Agency is promoting improvements to the existing junction 10 of the M20 with the costs fully covered by the developers. Further planned growth at Ashford will be facilitated by a new junction to the south of the existing junction 10 and the and the Secretary of State has asked the Highways Agency to investigate the feasibility of its provision.
In addition some £5.2 billion of public and private investment is already being made available to complete the channel tunnel rail link which will greatly improve the accessibility of Ashford.
Freight Traffic
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what effect on planned growth in freight traffic between 2000–01 and 2010–11 he expects to result from the deferred schemes of (a) the Trans Pennine/South Humberside freight capacity works, (b) Felixstowe to Nuneaton Phase 2, (c) the de-scoped East Coast Main Line and (d) reviewed Phase 1 of Felixstowe to Nuneaton. [98968]
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Mr. Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) confirmed in its revised Strategic Plan (issued at the end of January 2003—copies in the House Library) its objectives for freight. These and other objectives will be reviewed as the 10 Year Plan is rolled forward.
Portland Helicopter
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will be making an announcement on the future of the Bristow helicopter operation at Portland. [98650]
Mr. Jamieson: This Government is committed to ensuring the continued provision of appropriate civilian maritime search and rescue services for our coasts. We have listened very carefully to all the arguments for and against moving the helicopter based at Portland and announced last week that the Coastguard helicopter will continue to fly from there. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is now in a position to let a new contract for the continued provision of a helicopter based at Portland for beyond May 2003, when the current contract expires.
Public Transport (Overcrowding)
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what definition he uses for overcrowding on different forms of public transport. [98612]
Mr. Jamieson: There is no definition for overcrowding on public transport. However all rail operators are required to provide a frequency of service and adequate capacity to prevent excessive crowding
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and to have in place strategies for dealing with regular systematic crowding when it occurs. On buses and coaches, regulations are also in place to prohibit the carriage of more than the authorised number of passengers.
Rail Injuries
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of the non-fatal injuries that occurred on the rail network required hospital treatment in each year since 1997; and what definitions his Department uses for the different categories of injury incurred by passengers on the rail network. [98589]
Mr. Jamieson: The recording of information on injuries occurring on the railway network are a requirement of the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), 1995. It is a RIDDOR requirement that HSE is informed of the following injuries:
- (a) Fatalities;
(b) Major injuries to railway employees;
(c) Minor injuries to railway employees resulting in an absence from their normal range of work duties for more than three consecutive days;
(d) Injuries to members of the public resulting in the injured person being removed from the site of the accident and taken to hospital for treatment.
| Injuries to railway employees | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Major(43) | Minor(43) | Injuries to passengers requiring hospital treatment | Other members of the public requiring hospital treatment | Injuries to trespassers and attempted suicides requiring hospital treatment |
| 2001–02 | 351 | 2,023 | 2,401 | 92 | 179 |
| 2000–01 | 300 | 2,135 | 2,795 | 84 | 177 |
| 1999–2000 | 340 | 2,065 | 2,742 | 85 | 144 |
| 1998–99 | 376 | 2,070 | 2,671 | 101 | 149 |
| 1997–98 | 351 | 2,088 | 2,747 | 127 | 136 |
(43) These figures will include some injuries that required hospital treatment.
Note:
The figures refer to injuries occurring on all railways (including tramways and underground systems.
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