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Recruitment and Retention

Mr. Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what methods are used by the Ministry of Defence to forecast (a) social trends and (b) risks in relation to (i) recruitment and (ii) retention; and if he will make a statement. [100173]

Dr. Moonie: The armed forces employ a number of methods to identify and assess factors—including social trends and risks—that impact on recruitment and retention. The Department has its own analytical capability situated in the Defence Analytical and Services Agency, where much of this groundwork is undertaken. Social trends are identified primarily through commissioned research. This provides access to a wide range of research information across Government Departments, for example labour trends, demography, and census statistics. Targeted research

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contracts are also placed, as necessary, to improve our understanding of the employment market in which we compete. Recruiting risks are identified from this research and from very close scrutiny of the emerging performance of the recruiting machine.

As far as retention is concerned, a key part of the pay and workforce strategy for the armed forces is the identification of high level risks and the levers that can be used to ameliorate those risks. Within that strategy, underpinning policies are reviewed in the light of evidence obtained both from routine surveys (for example Continuous Attitude Surveys) and from discrete research on specific topics.

Security Vetting

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what security vetting is carried out on consultants employed by MoD. [102549]

Dr. Moonie: Consultants employed by the Ministry of Defence to work with protectively marked information or materials, or who will require access to Defence facilities, are security cleared in accordance with the Government's vetting policy. The level of security clearance will depend on the nature of the work involved, as judged by the sponsor.

Wage Bill

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what financial savings were made to the overall wage bill between 1 April 2001 and 1 April 2002 due to the introduction of Pay 2000 for soldiers, sailors and airmen; and if he will make a statement; [102612]

(2) what the projected savings are in the period 1 April 2001 to 1 April 2010 in the wage bill due to the introduction of Pay 2000 for soldiers, sailors and airmen; and if he will make a statement. [102610]

Dr. Moonie: There are no actual or projected savings for the period 1 April 2001 to 1 April 2010 in the wage bill of the armed forces as a result of the introduction of Pay 2000 for Service personnel. Pay 2000 was introduced in April 2001 to provide a more responsive pay system for the needs of Service personnel—up to and including one-star level—serving in the 21st century. It was not intended to be a cost saving measure.

TRANSPORT

Congestion Charging

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact of the London congestion charge on economic activity in London; and if he will make a statement. [101907]

Mr. Jamieson: The Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) will monitor the scheme's effects, including its impact on business and the economy, and the Department will consider fully the results of this work.

Airports

Mr. John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what implications the inclusion in his re-issued airport consultation document of possible

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expansion of Gatwick airport has for prospective levels of demand for civil aviation services out of Birmingham airport. [102899]

Mr. Jamieson: It is the number of runways in the south east of England, rather than their location, which significantly affects the levels of demand at Birmingham International Airport.

Therefore, the inclusion of Gatwick options in the on-going consultation does not alter the forecast levels of demand for Birmingham.

Mr. John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he plans to issue to residents of the Midlands region on the account they should take of his re-issued airports consultation document for the south east in returning their revised questionnaires in respect of airports in the midlands. [102898]

Mr. Jamieson: We are writing to all consultees previously contacted directly, and those who have submitted responses, to inform them of minor revisions to the midlands consultation paper. The sole revision to the midlands questionnaire is the addition of 'Gatwick airport' to question 4(b).

All responses received so far will continue to be regarded as responses to the consultation. Respondents have the option to add to, replace or amend their responses, if they wish to.

Automated Traffic Management

Mr. David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress he has made in establishing the proposed automated traffic management system for the west midlands motorways (a) M5, (b) M6, (c) M40, (d) M42 and (e) M54. [102855]

Mr. Jamieson: The west midlands area multi modal-study, which is currently being considered by the Secretary of State, recommends the use of active traffic management (ATM) on the west midlands motorway box (M42 junctions 1–7, M5 junctions 1–4A and M6 junctions 4–10A) as part of the overall strategy. I refer to the announcement made by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Transport, on 27 July 2001 that junctions 3A to 7 of the M42 have been chosen as a trial site for active traffic management (ATM). The outcome of the trial will be assessed very thoroughly before any decision is taken about application to other motorway links on the west midlands motorway box.

Bus Services

Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bus services were operated from (a) Tadcaster and (b) Selby on the most recent date for which figures are available. [103139]

Mr. Jamieson: On Thursday 13 March 2003 104 bus services were scheduled to operate from Tadcaster and 176 from Selby.

Car Number Plate Reader Project

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's automatic number plate reader project. [102787]

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Mr. Jamieson: DVLA currently has 11 automatic number plate reader vans in operation across the UK, with a further four becoming available by mid 2003. They form part of the Agency's deterrent to combat vehicle excise duty (VED) evasion and were first introduced on a phased basis in October 2001.

The vans are continually involved in joint police/DVLA VED enforcement campaigns. They attract useful media coverage and receive positive support from the motoring public.

Over the last year the automatic number plate readers have provided DVLA with 30,000 VED offence reports.

Departmental Spending

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his latest estimate is of the spending funded by his Department and its predecessors on (a) railways, (b) trunk roads (maintenance), (c) trunk roads (new build), (d) local roads, (e) London Transport, (f) aviation and (g) buses, in each year from 1990–91 (planned) to 2005–06 (planned); and if he will make a statement. [101638]

Mr. Jamieson: Information on these programmes between 1990–91 and 2003–04 is set out in the relevant expenditure tables of the annual departmental reports for the Department of Transport, the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, and the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions, although not on a comparable basis across the entire period. Updated information for the Department for Transport, with plans to 2005–06, will be published in the 2003 departmental report shortly.

Hydraulic Tail Lifts

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it a requirement (a) that vehicles with hydraulic tail lifts should clearly display the weight of such lifts and (b) that notices should be displayed on vehicles warning that the weight of such lifts has to be included in the calculation for the legal permitted weight load capacity; and if he will make a statement. [103091]

Mr. Jamieson: The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 require that the maximum weight that a vehicle can operate at is to be displayed on a plate fixed to it. This weight will include that of any equipment fitted to the vehicle and load carried on it. The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 require all lifting equipment and lifting accessories to be marked with a safe working load. Tail lifts do not normally carry any load while the vehicle is travelling on a road.

London Underground

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the main problems are which the shadow running of the London Underground PPP has highlighted; and if he will make a statement. [101320]

Mr. Jamieson: The Government understand that London Underground Ltd. has made some limited changes to the contracts, including in respect of performance management and the way access is granted to the infrastructure, as a result of shadow running.

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Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 10 March, ref 101751, what indirect role the Government have played in assisting London Underground PPP consortia to obtain (a) grants and (b) loans from (i) the European Investment bank and (ii) other financial institutions; and if he will make a statement. [102816]

Mr. Jamieson: As I said in my earlier reply, the method by which the consortia finance their obligations under the PPP, and how they raise the necessary funding, is a matter for them.

The minutes that my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions presented to Parliament on 20 March last year and that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport made to Parliament on 4 December drew Parliament's attention to certain letters to be issued and steps to be taken in order to enable the PPP contracts to proceed. Factual explanations of the matters set out in the letters have been given to some financial institutions, including the EIB, in response to requests.

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