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Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 6 November 2003

PRIME MINISTER

Committee on Standards in Public Life

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Prime Minister when he expects to announce new appointments to the Committee on Standards in Public Life; and if he will make a statement. [137420]

The Prime Minister: I have appointed two new members to the Committee.

The right hon. Member for North-West Norfolk (Mrs. Shephard) DL MP takes up appointment as the Conservative Party nominee in succession to the right hon. Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market OBE. Baroness Maddock takes up appointment as the Liberal Democrat Party nominee in succession to Lord Goodhart QC. Both appointments are for three years in the first instance.

The right hon. Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market and Lord Goodhart are both stepping down from the Committee on completion of their second terms of appointment. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them both for the valuable work they have undertaken on the Committee over the last six years, and the significant contribution they have made to improving standards in public life.

Departmental Expenditure (Official Residences)

Mr. Flight : To ask the Prime Minister how much was spent on (a) maintenance, (b) renovation, (c) council tax and (d) running costs of residential properties used by the Prime Minister and officials in each year since 1997. [134696]

The Prime Minister: For running costs and the cost of maintenance, renovation and council tax of residential properties in Downing street, I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Lewes (Mr. Baker) on 22 July 2002, Official Report, column 804W, and on 28 February 2002, Official Report, columns 1443–44W.

Expenditure on routine maintenance work to the flat above No. 11 Downing street for 2001–02 was £32,949.

Final figures for 2002–03 are not yet available.

For Chequers, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for north Devon (Mr. Harvey) on 13 February 2003, Official Report, column 952W.

The annual grant for maintenance and to cover civilian staff employed at Chequers for 2002–03 was £499,817.

The Chequers Trust is responsible for paying the council tax on all Chequers estate property.

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Northern Ireland

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Prime Minister (1) with whom he has communicated to try to find a way in which he can disclose certain information given to him and the Prime Minister of the Irish Republic by General de Chastelain; and what the responses have been; [136948]

(2) pursuant to his statement of 22 October 2003, Official Report, column 634, on Northern Ireland, when he expects to be able to reveal the information given to him and the Prime Minister of the Irish Republic by General de Chastelain to which he referred; and what the evidential basis was for his statement that on the basis of what he and the Prime Minister of the Irish Republic know that people would be satisfied if they knew the full details; [136949]

(3) whether during his conversation with the Prime Minister of the Irish Republic and General de Chastelain he obtained from the latter facts which were not in the General's press conferences and statement. [136950]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Sevenoaks (Mr. Fallon) at Prime Minister's Questions on 29 October 2003, Official Report, column 300.

TRANSPORT

Bus Lanes

Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will make regulations to allow cameras to be used to enforce bus lanes outside London; and if he will make a statement. [136362]

Mr. Jamieson: Section 144 of the Transport Act 2000 enables regulations to be made so that local authorities outside London can enforce bus lanes using cameras to detect vehicles being driven in them illegally. The work on the preparation of the regulations including resolving relevant legal points has taken longer than expected but the Department for Transport and the Department for Constitutional Affairs hope to be able to make the relevant regulations later this year.

MOT Testers

Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to increase the number of MOT testers; and if he will make a statement. [136183]

Mr. Jamieson: None—there is no evidence to suggest that there is a shortage of qualified MOT testers. Currently there are around 19,500 MOT testing stations with 50,000 testers. There is no restriction on the number of garages that can apply to become MOT testing stations and, once designated, garages can employ as many MOT testers as they wish.

Railways

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects trains from Liverpool to London to travel at speeds of 125 mph. [136453]

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Mr. McNulty [holding answer 4 November 2003]: It is expected that the modernisation of the West Coast Main Line will enable train services, including those from London to Liverpool, to travel at speeds of up to 125 mph from the autumn of 2004.

Road Safety

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the safety implications for road users of speed cameras. [136082]

Mr. Jamieson: On 11 February 2003 the Department published an independently produced evaluation report of the two-year trial of the safety camera cost recovery system. This showed a 35 per cent. reduction in those killed or seriously injured at camera sites, equating to around 280 people and a 4 per cent. reduction in those killed or seriously injured across the pilot areas, equating to around 530 people.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to introduce further regulations on the fitness of individuals to drive. [136085]

Mr. Jamieson: We have an on-going research programme into fitness to drive, the results of which will help inform the Secretary of State's Honorary Medical Advisory Panels in relation to their advice on the driver licensing standards.

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he is introducing to reduce the numbers of children under the age of 16 who are killed or receive a serious head injury as a result of a cycling accident. [136422]

Mr. Jamieson: We have produced a large body of material on cycle safety aimed at younger children promoting the use of cycle helmets as well as other cycle safety messages such as conspicuity and training. We have also developed a Cycle Sense campaign aimed at teenagers that was launched on 21 May this year. The campaign encourages teenagers to wear cycle helmets and consists of posters and a new cycle sense website.

Traffic Management Bill

Mr. Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will comply with the Cabinet Office's guidance on consultation when consulting on the detailed regulations which accompany the Traffic Management Bill. [136802]

Mr. McNulty: We will comply with Cabinet Office guidance when consulting on any such regulations.

Mr. Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to consult the utilities companies on the detailed regulations that will accompany the Traffic Management Bill. [136803]

Mr. McNulty: We will be consulting widely not only with utility companies, but also with local authorities and other relevant bodies.

UK Airport Security

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what powers exist to authorise security staff at United Kingdom airports to examine passengers' luggage, by

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force if necessary, without the knowledge or consent of the passenger; and how many times they have been exercised in the past 12 months. [136796]

Mr. McNulty: Aerodrome managers and aircraft operators are directed through secondary legislation, made under the Aviation Security Act 1982, to examine passenger baggage to a standard sufficient reasonably to ensure that no prohibited articles are taken into a restricted zone or onto an aircraft. Where passengers refuse to permit such an examination, the baggage is not allowed to pass beyond the point of search. If the baggage is not accompanied by its owner, and x-ray screening of a bag has not resolved all doubts, the aircraft operator is permitted by direction to search the bag by hand. Searching unaccompanied hold baggage by hand is therefore rarely necessary.

Underground (Vandalism)

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many prosecutions there have been by British Transport Police for acts of vandalism on (a) on tube trains, (b) in tube stations and (c) on tube lines in each of the last 10 years. [136524]

Mr. McNulty: Vandalism is not classified as a crime group but the offence of criminal damage is the closest equivalent. Prosecutions are a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service. However, the BTP have provided the information in Table 1 regarding the number of people arrested, summonsed or charged with criminal damage in the past six years which is the maximum period for which reliable data are available. Table 2 shows the total number of criminal damage offences reported and cleared for the last 10 years. Table 3 gives a breakdown for criminal damage offences reported and cleared, split between tube stations, tube lines and tube trains for the last four years, the maximum period for which reliable data are available.

Table 1

Time period(1 October–30 September)	Number of persons Arrested/Charged/Summonsed for criminal damage offences
1997–98	92
1998–99	75
1999–2000	82
2000–01	98
2001–02	64
2002–03	152

Table 2

Criminal Damage Offences(1 April–31 March)	Reported	Cleared
2002–03	925	119
2001–02	725	139
2000–01	693	136
1999–2000	697	135
1998–99	715	173
1997–98	836	336
1996–97	780	187
1995–96	978	191
1994–95	1,042	154
1993–94	1,391	122

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Table 3

Criminal Damage Offences(1 April–31 March)	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03
Offences at tube stations:	376	340	366	361
Cleared:	85	96	92	70
Offences on tube lines:	46	26	65	125
Cleared:	10	20	14	8
Offences on tube trains:	295	292	302	426
Cleared:	34	31	32	41
Total Offences:	717	658	733	912
Cleared:	129	147	138	119

Data in Table 3 differ slightly from data in Table 2 as it has been extracted on crime committed date as opposed to approved date. A crime report has an approved date which is the date the crime report has been evaluated and is often different to the date committed. Therefore crime figures will differ slightly depending on which date is used.

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