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6 Oct 2003 : Column 1058W—continued
Food Expenditure
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on food by his Department and by each agency for which it is responsible in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; what proportion of that food by value was produced in the United Kingdom; what guidance he has issued to encourage the procurement of home-produced food; and if he will make a statement. [129376]
Mr. McNulty: The Department came into being on 29 May 2002. The information requested is given in the following table.
The Department's catering services are all contracted out, with the contractor recovering costs through the sale of services. Expenditure on food in DfT is, therefore, limited to official hospitality provided by the Department and its Agencies, and canteen subsidies. Records of spend on food provided at some external conferences and similar events are not kept centrally and are not included.
The Department does not generally prescribe the sourcing of goods and produce supplied to the Department or sold in staff restaurants, nor are contractors currently required to provide this information. The percentage and value of foodstuffs sourced from the UK under existing departmental catering contracts is not, therefore, readily available.
DEFRA has published a "Guidance and action Sheet for buyers and their internal customers" that includes guidance on local sourcing and in particular how to remove obstacles to tendering faced by local and UK suppliers. I am taking steps to ensure that the guidance is implemented by departmental purchasers involved in the procurement of facility management/catering services.
We are also working closely with DEFRA, and our agencies, to integrate and promote the principles of sustainable development into the public procurement of food and catering services.
6 Oct 2003 : Column 1059W
| Department/Agency | 2001–02 hospitality expenditure (£) | 2001–02 canteen subsidies (£) | Estimated percentage of procured food produced in UK in 2001–02 | Estimated monetary value of UK produced food supplied to organisation in 2001–02 (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Central) Department | Not Available(12) | None | Not Available(12) | Not Available(12) |
| Driving Standards Agency | 54,575 | None | Not Available(12) | Not Available(13) |
| Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency | 35,512 | None | 86 | Not Available(13) |
| Highways Agency | 216,995 | 9,692 | Not Available(13) | Not Available(13) |
| Maritime and Coastguard Agency | 35,525 | None | Not Available(13) | Not Available(13) |
| Vehicle Certification Agency | 2,000 | None | Not Available(13) | Not Available(13) |
| Vehicle and Operator Services Agency | 147,787 | 142,921 | 60 | Not Available(13) |
| Total | 492,394 | 152,613 | — | — |
| Department/Agency | 2002–03 hospitality expenditure (£) | 2002–03 canteen subsidies (£) | Estimated percentage of procured food produced in UK in 2002–03 | Estimated monetary value of UK produced food supplied to organisation in 2002–03 (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Central) Department | (14)161,924 | None | Not Available(13) | Not Available(13) |
| Driving Standards Agency | 28,364 | None | Not Available(13) | Not Available(13) |
| Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency | 92,188 | None | 87 | Not Available(13) |
| Highways Agency | 212,103 | 13,461 | Not Available(13) | Not Available(13) |
| Maritime and Coastguard Agency | 46,587 | None | Not Available(13) | Not Available(13) |
| Vehicle Certification Agency | 2,000 | None | Not Available(13) | Not Available(13) |
| Vehicle and Operator Services Agency | 90,357 | 33,980 | 60 | Not Available(13) |
| Total | 633,503 | 47,441 | — | — |
(12) The Department for Transport came into being on 29 May 2002, earlier figures for the predecessor department are not available.
(13) This information is not held centrally, and is not readily available from catering service providers.
(14) The Department for Transport came into being on 29 May 2002, the figure shown only includes available data from that date up to and including 31 March 2003.
Docklands Light Railway
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects on the integrated transport strategy of bicycles not being allowed on the Docklands Light Railway. [131124]
Mr. McNulty: None. The Docklands Light Railway is the responsibility of the Mayor and Transport for London.
Local Transport Finance
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) unclaimed and (b) returned sums from each local authority's local transport plans for the last year for which figures are available. [129721]
Mr. McNulty: Most capital funds paid through the Local Transport Plan system to local authorities are subject to financial flexibilities which are sufficient to ensure that none are unclaimed or returned. The exceptions relate to funds allocated for major local transport schemes—through grants under Section 56 of the Transport Act 1968, or through credit approvals.
As Section 56 grants are claimed in arrears and are subsequently subject to audit, local authorities invariably claim only as much as they need to cover works undertaken on a particular scheme in a particular financial year, and no grant needs to be returned. The authorities that claimed less than the full amount offered by the Government for major schemes in 2002–03 are listed as follows.
6 Oct 2003 : Column 1060W
| Authority | Scheme | Unclaimed amount (£) |
|---|---|---|
| Sandwell MBC | Hagley Road Bus Showcase Route | 300,000 |
| Tyne and Wear PTA | Stephenson's Link | 887,000 |
| Tyne and Wear PTA | Metro Track Dualling | 199,000 |
| Newcastle CC | Quayside Public Transport | 392,000 |
Where under-claiming is the result of a delay in delivering a scheme, the Government may decide to offer a corresponding additional grant for the scheme in subsequent years.
There is no corresponding 'claim' for credit approvals. Following a local authority bid, the Government may decide to make credit approvals available, at times and levels decided by Ministers. Local authorities that chose not to take full advantage of credit approvals made available in 2002–03 are listed in the following table. These sums were subsequently reallocated as credit approvals for other local authority transport schemes.
| Authority | Scheme | Unclaimed amount (£) |
|---|---|---|
| Bolton MBC | Quality Bus Corridor | 155,999 |
| Bradford CC | South Bradford Integrated Transport | 2,122,000 |
| Cheshire CC | Chester Park and Ride | 1,480,000 |
| East Sussex CC | A22 Dualling | 23,000 |
| Gateshead MBC | Centrelink | 276,410 |
| Salford CC | Trafford Road Improvement | 617,000 |
| Staffordshire CC | Biddulph by-pass | 300,000 |
| Stockport MBC | Manchester Airport Eastern Link Road | 89,000 |
| Tyne and Wear PTA | Stephenson Link | 50,000 |
| Tyne and Wear PTA | Metro Track Dualling | 300,000 |
| Warwickshire CC | Nuneaton Development Project | 240,000 |
6 Oct 2003 : Column 1061W
M6
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect that the charge for lorries using the M6 toll road will have on lorry movements on the non-tolled M6 motorway. [130970]
Mr. Jamieson: Since the announcement of the toll prices the Highways Agency have not carried out any assessment.
Following the opening of the Toll Road, the Highways Agency in conjunction with the Concessionaire will carry out a review of flows along the adjacent network together with flows on the toll road.
Under all charging scenarios, the net relief to the M6 was forecast to be quite small. Long distance through traffic which transfers onto the M6 Toll, which represents about one third of M6 traffic, will release capacity on the M6 which will be taken up by local traffic, thus providing significant relief to many local roads.
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what powers he has to alter the charges for using the M6 toll road. [130971]
Mr. Jamieson: The Secretary of State has no powers to alter the charges. Under the terms of the concession agreement signed in 1992, the Concessionaire (Midland Expressway Ltd.) is responsible for all aspects of the M6 toll's operation, including the level of tolls.
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultations he had with the private operator of the M6 toll road over the setting of the initial charges for users; and what representations he made to the operator. [130972]
Mr. Jamieson: The concession agreement places no obligation on the Concessionaire to consult with the Secretary of State before setting toll charges. Under the terms of the concession agreement signed in 1992, the Concessionaire (Midland Expressway Ltd.) is responsible for all aspects of the M6 toll's operation, including the level of tolls.
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