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16 May 2003 : Column 467W—continued
Statutory Performance Benchmarks
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the proposed introduction of statutory performance criteria into the process which determines board-room bonuses. [111654]
Ms Hewitt: Directors' remuneration is a matter for companies and their shareholders. The Government will shortly be consulting on issues relating to 'rewards for failure' and measures to more effectively link severance payments to performance through contracts.
Transport Fuel
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what strategic planning she is carrying out to ensure adequate supply and distribution of retail motor transport fuels in (a) urban and (b) rural areas. [113280]
Mr. Wilson: The Department is working in close collaboration with the industry and other Government Departments so that robust and effective emergency plans and response measures are in place in the event of any possible supply disruption.
The issue of adequate supply of transport fuels is also being address by the Downstream Oil Industry Forum. I initiated the forum last year to address industry concerns about:
- Oil products supply infrastructure
Services to motorists in rural areas
TRANSPORT
Airports
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what purposes his Department has employed Avia Solutions in connection with plans to expand runway capacity in the South East; what monitoring he has carried out on (a) financial and (b) other links between (i) directors and (ii) employees of Avia Solutions and BAA plc; and if he will make a statement. [113582]
Mr. Jamieson [holding answer 15 May 2003]: Avia Solutions have been retained by the Department as part of a team of consultants and civil servants to carry out the analysis of responses to the consultation. As part of their work they will analyse responses on the issue of capacity for the south-east and other parts of the UK. The managing consultants for the south-east study were Halcrow, Avia solutions were not involved with this work. Any final decisions on capacity will, of course, be taken by Ministers.
16 May 2003 : Column 468W
Mr. John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will investigate the inability of constituents in Solihull to obtain questionnaires to respond to the Midlands version of the Government's Consultation on Regional Airports; and if he will make a statement. [113443]
Mr. Jamieson: We are aware of individual instances in which a small number of people have had difficulty in obtaining hard copies of the questionnaire. Officials have discussed this with the Department's distribution centre as part of the on-going monitoring and development of their performance. Since the launch of the revised South East consultation documents on 27 February, 16,319 new Midlands' questionnaires have been issued, with around 15 per cent. having been completed and returned.
Residents in Solihull, as in the rest of the UK, can respond to the consultation in a number of ways to ensure that their views are taken into account. These include completing the electronic version of the questionnaire on our website and sending letters to our consultation response address.
Highways Agency
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his Answer of 3 March 2003, Official Report, column 798W, on the Highways Agency, what the total pay costs incurred by the Highways Agency were in each year since 1997. [113375]
Mr. Jamieson: The salary costs for civil servants employed by the Highways Agency on 1 January for the past seven years are set out in the following table:
| Year | Salary costs(£) |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 38,446,953 |
| 1998 | 36,566,314 |
| 1999 | 38,836,837 |
| 2000 | 41,341,278 |
| 2001 | 43,003,512 |
| 2002 | 44,967,107 |
| 2003 | 47,540,928 |
Mobile Workers
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the regulatory impact assessment of the extension of the Working Time Directive to mobile workers will be published. [114041]
Mr. Jamieson: A partial Regulatory Impact Assessment will be published with the Consultation Document which we expect to issue in the summer.
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when consultation will commence on the regulations implementing the extension of the Working Time Directive to mobile workers; and for how long it will last. [114042]
Mr. Jamieson: The department is consulting with both sides of the industry on how the directive should be implemented into domestic legislation. We expect to launch a formal consultation exercise before the end of this summer. The exercise should last for at least three months.
16 May 2003 : Column 469W
Pay Costs
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his Answer of 3 March 2003, Official Report, columns 796–7W, on Departmental Agency staff, what the total pay costs incurred by the (a) Vehicle Certification Agency, (b) Maritime and Coast Guard Agency and (c) Driving Standards Agency were in each year since 1997. [113380]
Mr. Jamieson: The information requested is contained in the Agencies' published Annual Report and Accounts (details for 2002–03 are not yet finalised). For the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, details begin in its first year, 1998–99. Copies are available in the Library.
Rail Freight Grants
Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will announce the (a) date for reinstatement and (b) budget for SRA rail freight grants. [112189]
Mr. Jamieson: I refer my hon. Friend, to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Brecon and Radnoshire (Roger Williams) on 13 May 2003, Official Report, column 134W.
Road Safety
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many non-UK citizens have been killed in road accidents in the UK in each of the last five years. [114071]
Mr. Jamieson: This information is not available. The nationality of a casualty is not recorded as part of the Department's collection of road accident statistics.
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Information Technology
Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's (a) total managed expenditure, (b) total spending on Information Technology and (c) spending on Information Technology as a proportion of its total managed expenditure was in each financial year since 1997–98. [107183]
Alun Michael: The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs was established as a new Department in 2001–02. The contribution by Defra to Total Managed Expenditure can be measured by the total of spending under resource and capital budgets, less non-cash items in AME. Data for 1998–99 to 2002–03 are available in the 2003 Departmental Report (May Cm 5919).
Information technology budgets were devolved to Defra's various business areas for 2001–02 and 2002–03 and fully accounted information on total IT expenditure cannot be gathered without incurring disproportionate cost. However, estimates being used for planning purposes indicate that IT expenditure in Defra
16 May 2003 : Column 470W
(excluding internal staff costs, Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies) was £53 million for 2001–02 and £64 million for 2002–03.
Market Testing
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated level of saving to the Department is from the use of market testing in 2002–03. [107772]
Alun Michael: Departments are no longer required to undertake a programme of market testing. Defra's focus is on improved delivery of services by ensuring that high quality public services are delivered on the basis of value for money in line with the Better Quality Services ethos as set out in the following extract from the Treasury publication, Public Private Partnerships, The Government's Approach: (http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media//C23A9/PPP2QOQ.pdf)
- Better Quality Services
The focus of Better Quality Services (BQS) is on improving what is delivered, rather than taking a dogmatic line about whether this is best achieved through private, public or partnership solutions. BQS is a comprehensive programme across central Government. It covers all activities in the departments and its agencies and executive NDPBs, with all services and activities, including policy and headquarters functions, are reviewed over a five year period.
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