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Speed Cameras (Accidents)
13. Paul Flynn (Newport, West): What changes have been recorded in the number of fatal accidents on roads where speed cameras have been deployed in the past two years. [132972]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. Tony McNulty): The two-year trial of the cost recovery system for speed and red light cameras found a 35 per cent. reduction in killed or seriously injured casualties at camera sites, equating to around 280 people.
Paul Flynn : The answer to a previous question that I put to the Department suggested that the number of lives saved could be up to 500 a year. That is the answer to those websites and other irresponsible organs that advocate the vandalising of speed cameras. Should it not be made clear to those people that their actions in destroying speed cameras are leading to the deaths of hundreds of fellow road users?
Mr. McNulty: I entirely endorse what my hon. Friend says. More than 1,000 people are killed on our roads each year as a result of excessive and inappropriate speed. Cameras are highly effective in addressing excessive speed and those who would vandalise them are to be truly and utterly condemned.
Mr. Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire): Overall, this country has a fairly good record on road accidents, although, of course, we must not be complacent. One area in which we have a particularly bad record is child deaths. Have the Government any plans to act on the advice from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents about the changing of the clocks in this country? ROSPA has said that if we did not put the clocks forward, there would be a substantial reduction in the number of child deaths. Will the Government consider that?
Mr. McNulty: The hon. Gentleman will know that, whatever else I have responsibility for in the Department for Transport, I am not responsible for clocks and time, but I will ensure that the ROSPA report is taken on board with all due seriousness, as it should be. Colleagues in Scotland and elsewhere may disagree with him, but his point about child deaths on our roads is well made. That problem is another reason why the entire House should condemn those who try capriciously to remove speed cameras for whatever purpose.
CABINET OFFICE
The Minister for the Cabinet Office was asked—
Public Appointments
20. Mr. Mark Hendrick (Preston): What age restrictions there are on public appointments. [132951]
21. Mr. David Borrow (South Ribble): What age restrictions apply to public appointments. [132952]
The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr. Douglas Alexander): Generally, there are no age restrictions for public appointments. However, certain legal appointments, for example those made by the Lord Chancellor to the magistracy, have some restrictions.
Mr. Hendrick : My hon. Friend will be aware that one in 33 public appointments are of people under the age of 35. When will he get to grips with this problem and make public appointments more representative of the population at large, especially given that he was elected to the House when he was under 35?
Mr. Alexander : I take my hon. Friend's point, not least because of the remark with which he concluded his question. It is fair to say that we want our public appointments to reflect the society that public bodies serve. Younger people have a significant contribution to make to those public bodies. That is why a great deal of work is being done within government and in a range of agencies to ensure that there is better representation not just of younger people, but of all sections of the community that we seek to serve.
Mr. Borrow : If we are to have a more representative age profile of public appointments in Lancashire, we must ensure that some of the barriers that prevent working people from taking up such posts are removed. In my hon. Friend's capacity as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what can he do to ensure that public sector employers give maximum support to their employees in taking up public appointments? What does he intend to do about the private sector, which is where most of the problems lie?
Mr. Alexander: My hon. Friend makes an important point. In my capacity as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, I follow the precedents set by the Department for Constitutional Affairs on magistracy appointments, but I also hold responsibility for public bodies within Government, and I have already had conversations with the relevant Minister in the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that, if there are barriers to people assuming public body positions, those discussions can be taken forward in Government and conclusions reached. A strain of work has been carried out in the Cabinet Office under one of my predecessors on how to deal with any significant barriers that stand in the way of people taking their places on public bodies. Those conversations continue within Government.
Mr. John Bercow (Buckingham): In light of the hon. Gentleman's welcome opposition to age discrimination, will he tell the House what proportion of applicants for public appointments are above pensionable age, and for what proportion of the totality of appointments they account? By the way, if he is so strongly opposed to age discrimination, why do the hon. Members for Crewe and Nantwich (Mrs. Dunwoody), for Huddersfield (Mr. Sheerman) and for Ochil (Mr. O'Neill) and the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Mr. Kaufman) sit on the Back Benches and not on the Front Benches?
Mr. Alexander: I willingly assume responsibility for many things, but as the phrase has it, that is way above
my pay grade. The substantive point that the hon. Gentleman made about the contribution of older citizens to public bodies is a serious one, and it deserves a serious response. The latest figures provided by the Commissioner for Public Appointments show that 8 per cent. of the appointments that fell within her remit are held by people over the age of 66. I do not have the information on applications in front of me. A range of statistics is provided by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman would be kind enough to allow me to write to him.
Mr. Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge): The Minister mentioned certain appointments made by the Lord Chancellor that are subject to age limits. Will the Government be forced by forthcoming legislation on age discrimination to drop all reference to age limits in such public appointments? If so, would it not be better for them to lead by example, and scrap the age limits now?
Mr. Alexander: Conversations are taking place with the Department for Constitutional Affairs, but I shall be happy to raise the hon. Gentleman's point with the relevant Secretary of State.
Rob Marris (Wolverhampton, South-West): Can my hon. Friend assure me that he will take particular account of age restrictions affecting younger people—that he will consider, for instance, the age at which a young person might become a school governor—to encourage their participation in our body politic?
Mr. Alexander: That is an important point. Evidence relating to an increase in the proportion of public appointments taken by women reveals that many people who started out as school governors have moved on to other public appointments. The kind of local appointment that my hon. Friend describes strikes me as an ideal starting point, and there is a lesson to be drawn in that regard in the case of younger people as well.
Digital Services
22. David Cairns (Greenock and Inverclyde): What steps the Government have taken on inequalities in access to digital services. [132953]
The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr. Douglas Alexander): The Government are committed to providing internet access for all who want it by 2005. Fifty-six per cent. of the population are now regular users and 48 per cent. of UK homes now have internet access—five times the number of homes connected in 1998.
We recognise that some groups, such as the elderly and those on low incomes, are less likely to be online. The Government are working hard to engage those groups through initiatives such as the "Get Started" campaign.
David Cairns : I know that my hon. Friend shares my view that, in the long term, digital television will be a key delivery mechanism for providing everyone with digital services. Is he aware that, as well as a digital divide, we still have—in 2003—an analogue divide in parts of the
country? Constituents of mine in Inverkip cannot even obtain an analogue television signal, let alone a digital signal. Will my hon. Friend lend his support to my campaign for the insertion in the new BBC charter of a simple principle, namely that those who pay their licence fees should be able to get a TV signal irrespective of any other cost involved?
Mr. Alexander: I know of the tireless efforts of my good friend and constituency neighbour on behalf of his constituents in Inverkip in particular, where I understand from conversations with him that there are still difficulties with the analogue signal. I also know that he has already discussed the matter with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. I will happily pass on his concerns to the relevant Secretary of State.
Mr. Richard Allan (Sheffield, Hallam): Does the Minister agree with the conclusion of the recent survey by the Oxford internet institute that the group of "can't surfs" who have no physical access to the internet is now very small compared with the group of "won't surfs" who see no value in its use? When can we expect to see a replacement for the Government's portal, which in its present UK Online form is not attractive and certainly does not encourage people to go online? Can he indicate when his long-awaited plan will come to fruition?
Mr. Alexander: In regard to the Oxford internet institute study, the hon. Gentleman makes a valid point about cultural barriers. The "Get Started" campaign focused on targeting groups that are hard to reach, especially the elderly, because we must address not just a lack of technology but a lack of the skills and experience needed to gain access to the technology.
I assure the hon. Gentleman that only yesterday I dealt with a submission relating to his second point. I believe that we shall be able to make speedy progress in the new year.
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