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Written Answers to Questions
Friday 4 April 2003
PRIVY COUNCIL
Exhibitions
Mr. Yeo: To ask the President of the Council if he will list events at which his Department has exhibited in each of the last three years, stating for each (a) the purpose of exhibiting, (b) the cost of exhibiting and (c) the number of staff attending for the exhibition. [107614]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Privy Council Office has not exhibited at any event in the last three years.
Market Testing
Mr. Bercow: To ask the President of the Council what the estimated level of saving to the Department is from the use of market testing in 2002–03. [107774]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Privy Council Office has not used market testing in 2002–03.
Members' Pension Scheme
Mr. Drew: To ask the President of the Council if he will make a statement on the basis on which the additional subventions from public funds are being made to the hon. Members' pension scheme; what discussions he has had with hon. Members who are members of the Pension Fund on the subject of additional public funding; and what alternatives to additional public funds were discussed on how to meet the shortfall in hon. Members' pension scheme. [107373]
Mr. Bradshaw: My statement to the House on 24 March 2003, Official Report, column 2WS, explained that the Parliamentary and Other Pensions Act 1987
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requires the Government Actuary to value the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund at three-yearly intervals and to make recommendations as to the amount of the Exchequer contribution. The Act further requires the Government to implement the Government Actuary's recommendations with effect from the following financial year.
The Senior Salaries Review Body will no doubt consider the balance of funding of the pension scheme, as between Exchequer and members, in its next review of parliamentary remuneration.
Working Hours
Mr. Yeo: To ask the President of the Council what policy on (a) core hours and (b) flexible working hours is operated by his Department. [107654]
Mr. Bradshaw: Where operationally appropriate, staff in the Privy Council Office may take advantage of flexible working hours. The flexible working day is between 7.30 and 18.30, for which core times are from 10.00 to 12.00 and from 14.00 to 16.00. A half-hour break should be taken between 12.00 and 14.00. Staff may build up excess hours of up to a day and half and work with a deficit of up to one day within any four-week 'flexi-time' accounting period. Flexi-leave to use up excess hours requires line management approval and is agreed where operationally possible.
TRANSPORT
Airport Development (South-East)
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish revised projections for the Internal Rate of Return for the Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted options presented in Table 14.11 of SERAS Stage Two Appraisal Findings report, taking account of the new maximum airport landing charges recommended by the CAA. [106216]
Mr. Spellar [holding answer 1 April 2003]: The calculations, taking account of the new maximum airport charges for the period 2003–04 to 2007–08, are as follows:
| BASE Estimate 60y | BASE Estimate 60y | Levy @ airport(IRR) | Levy @ all airports(IRR) | RPI + x% @airport (IRR) | RPI + x% @ allairports (IRR) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | Airport | Runway | NPV | IRR | £2 | £4 | £1 | £2 | 1% | 2% | 0.5% | 1% | |||
| 5B | LHR | 1st | 111 | 13.3 | 15.8 | 18.4 | 15.4 | 17.6 | 15.8 | 18.2 | 15.1 | 16.8 | |||
| 6 | LGW | 1st | -392 | 6.1 | 9.1 | 11.8 | 25.1 | 32.1 | 9.2 | 11.5 | 22.4 | 25.2 | |||
| 7 | STN | 1st | -873 | 5.8 | 7.5 | 9.0 | 14.1 | 16.8 | 7.8 | 9.5 | 13.7 | 15.7 | |||
CO2 Emissions
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the annual CO2 emissions from the transport sector were in each year since 1990; and what plans he has in place to reduce these. [107234]
Mr. Spellar: Annual carbon dioxide (CO2) and other emissions from the transport sector are published each year in the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory, which is available at www.naei.org.uk, and in Transport Statistics Great Britain, which is available via my Department's website at www.dft.gov.uk. Ratified data is available up to the year 2000. CO2 emissions from the transport sector since 1990 are set out in the following table (all figures are given as megatonnes of carbon equivalents).
Note:
Figures given in this table are emissions "by source" and do not include emissions from the production of transport fuels and electricity. "Other transport" includes railways, domestic aviation and military aircraft, shipping, naval vessels and off-road sources. For further details, please see the explanatory notes in the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory and in Transport Statistics Great Britain.
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The Government have taken a number of steps in recent years to reduce total carbon dioxide emissions from the transport sector. Precise measures in place to reduce these emissions vary between different modes of transport. But in each case they essentially comprise some or all the following:
- adopting more stringent technical standards to limit the emissions at source
supporting research and development to develop cleaner technology
applying economic instruments to encourage the cleanest use of existing technology and/or the purchase and use of new, cleaner technology.
- the graduated vehicle excise duty and company car tax systems, introduced in 2001 and 2002 respectively, which reward those who choose the most carbon-efficient vehicles;
fiscal incentives and other grants for low-carbon vehicles and fuels (including biofuels, which can deliver significant lifecycle carbon savings);
the setting up of a Low Carbon Vehicles Partnership bringing together key stakeholders from the automotive, energy and other sectors to help bring about a shift to low carbon vehicles and fuels;
working with the European Commission to develop further voluntary agreements with automotive manufacturers to deliver further reductions in new car CO2 emissions.
London Underground
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects London Underground to be transferred to Transport for London. [107265]
Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 1 April 2003, Official Report, column 610W, to the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Tom Brake).
Trains
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his forecast date is for replacement of the last operational slam door train on British Railways. [93606]
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Mr. Spellar: The Strategic Rail Authority is leading an industry wide Mark 1 replacement Programme to ensure that all Mark 1 rolling stock is removed from the Network by 31 December 2004 as required in the 1999 Rail Safety Regulation. Because of the failure of Railtrack to ensure an adequate power supply for the South London Network, it has become clear that it may be necessary to provide for around 300–350 vehicles to operate on the network after December 2004. The SRA hopes these vehicles will be removed from the network in spring 2005.
DEFENCE
Afghanistan
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) mandate, (b) range of duties and (c) composition is of the existing Joint Regional Teams in Afghanistan. [106679]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 2 April 2003]: Provincial Reconstruction Teams (as Joint Regional Teams are now called) are deployed with the agreement of the Afghan Transitional Administration. Their role is to assist in extending the Transitional Administration's authority, help to develop a stable and secure environment in the Afghan regions and facilitate security sector reform and reconstruction. The teams deployed so far are led by the US and include both military and civilian personnel.
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