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26 May 2004 : Column 1624W—continued
Seasonal Fruit Pickers
Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what monitoring takes place to ensure that seasonal fruit pickers are not paid below the minimum wage. [175442]
Alun Michael: Seasonal fruit pickers are entitled to be paid at least the appropriate Agricultural Minimum Wage set by the Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales, for each hour they work. Payment of the Agricultural Minimum Wage is enforced by Defra officials of behalf of the Secretary of State. Enforcement activity is complaint led and workers can register a complaint about their pay by telephoning the Defra Agricultural Wages Team on 0845 0000 134.
Pay rates in agriculture are surveyed on a sample basis through the Defra Earnings and Hours Survey. This survey is conducted on a quarterly basis and a summary of results is available on the Defra website (www.defra.gov.uk).
TRANSPORT
Contingency Planning
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the mobile phones and walkie-talkie communications units issued to emergency personnel who would be called upon to deal with a terrorist incident on the London Underground have the capability to work underground. [175081]
Mr. McNulty: British Transport Police (BTP) are responsible for policing on London Underground and would be amongst the first to respond to a terrorist incident on the Underground network. BTP officers have two hand-held radios, one for below ground and one for above.
Metropolitan Police radios work on two thirds of the London Underground network. In responding to a terrorist incident, or other emergency, on the Underground, the Metropolitan Police would work closely with BTP, and most of its responsibility would be at the surface. In the event that Metropolitan Police
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officers were required to operate on the sections of the Underground network where their radios do not work, they would be able to communicate from below ground through BTP's radios. They would also receive communications support from London Underground staff.
London Fire Brigade officers carry hand-held radios that work on the London Underground by means of fixed extension aerials in place in all deep level Underground stations. If required to work underground in environments where such fixed aerials are not installed, London Fire Brigade officers are able to deploy portable cable aerials enabling the radios to operate underground.
All London Ambulance Service command vehicles carry portable cable aerials enabling London Ambulance Service radios to operate on the London Underground and other below ground environments.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans there are to provide training for all public transport workers in case of a serious emergency. [174680]
Mr. McNulty: This is primarily a matter for each operator. London Underground, the rail and bus industries have already circulated advice to all front line staff. In addition, the Department requires London Underground to have contingency plans to deal with situations that could effect the security of its operations. These must be accessible at all times to staff at stations, so that they are fully aware of what to do in such situations, and be exercised regularly. We have made similar recommendations to all Train Operating Companies.
Bus Services
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his assessment is of the ability of bus operators to maintain current service levels following the increase in the price of oil. [175438]
Mr. McNulty: Fuel costs represent only 6.5 per cent. of total local bus operating costs, after account is taken of support given by means of Bus Service Operators Grant, and it is not expected that recent changes in world oil prices will of themselves have a significant impact on service levels. We will however continue to monitor trends in overall bus industry costs.
Crime (Public Transport)
Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many assaults and attacks where knives or firearms were used were committed on London Underground in each year since 1997. [175459]
Mr. McNulty: The British Transport Police (BTP) have advised me that this information is not readily available and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many crimes involving firearms or knives were committed on (a) buses and (b) the railways in each year since 1997. [175462]
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Mr. McNulty: The British Transport Police (BTP) have advised me that this information is not readily available for crimes committed on the railways and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost. No data is held centrally regarding the number of crimes on buses since 1997 which have involved firearms or knives.
Departmental Staff
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff were employed in the Department to work in the communications field, and what the total expenditure on communications for the Department was, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisors and (iii) others, in (A) 1994–95, (B) 1996–97, (C) 1997–98 and (D) 2001–02. [168677]
Mr. McNulty: (A) 17 permanent press officers, all members of the then Government Information Service (GIS), were employed by the former Department of Transport (central)'s Information Division in 1994–95. Further information for this financial year about numbers of other staff and salary costs of these and press officers is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
(B) Detailed information on the numbers and salary costs of permanent press officers, members of the then GIS, employed in departmental press offices, including the former Department of Transport (c) for the financial year 1996–97, was provided in a memorandum dated 16 June 1998 to the Select Committee on Public Administration and published in its report on the Government Information and Communication Service (HC 770) in July 1998 (http://www.publications. parliament.uk/pa/cml99798/cmselect/cmpubadm/770/77002.htm). Copies are in the Libraries of the House. Information for other staff is not available in a comparable format and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. (C-D) Information for each of the financial years 1997–98 and 2001–02, when transport policy formed part of the remit of the former Departments of Environment, Transport and the Regions and Transport, Local Government and the Regions (respectively), is not available in a comparable format.
The Special Advisers' Code of Conduct sets out the sort of work a special adviser may undertake on behalf of their Minister. This can include communications activity. Details of the costs of Special Advisers are given on an annual basis.
Disabled Parking
Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 22 March 2004, Official Report, column 513W, on disabled parking, what progress has been made on (a) taking forward the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee's new recommendations, (b) revised guidance to local authorities, (c) research on the feasibility of a national database of Blue Badge holders and (d) consultation on secondary legislation for extending the scheme. [176032]
Mr. McNulty:
Work is continuing across all the areas of work I outlined in my previous answer in March.
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The revised guidance that will be drawn up to explain the changes I described will be produced in draft and will form part of the public consultation that will take place on the draft regulations to extend the scheme to children under two and those with temporary disabilities. That consultation is expected later this year.
The work specification for the research on a national database is being finalised. We plan to go out to tender on that work over the summer.
Ministerial Visits
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list visits made by each Minister in the Department between December 2003 and April 2004, broken down by (a) date, (b) constituency visited and (c) cost. [171566]
Mr. McNulty: Ministerial visits on official business within the United Kingdom for the period from 1 December 2003 to 30 April 2004 are given in tables 1 to 4. The visits were not made to specific constituencies and a number of visits would involve travelling to or through more than one constituency. Details of the cost of each visit could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The Government publishes on an annual basis the total costs of all ministerial
overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500. Information for 2003–04 is currently being collected and will be published as soon as it is ready.
| Visit | Date(s) of visit |
|---|---|
| Opening of M6 toll road, West Midlands | 9 December 2003 |
| Launch of Queen Mary 2, Southampton | 8 January 2004 |
| Channel Tunnel Rail Link breakthrough, Kings Cross | 27 October 2004 |
| C2C/ Ford centre of excellence, Dagenham | 2 February 2004 |
| Opening of train facility, Waterloo | 23 February 2004 |
| Nottingham Express Tram | 8 March 2004 |
| Rail Seminar, Glasgow | 26 March 2004 |
| Regional visit to North East | 29 March 2004 |
| Greater Anglia Launch, Liverpool Street | 1 April 2004 |
| Rail Seminar, York | 23 April 2004 |
| Launch of Highways Agency Traffic Officers, Birmingham | 26 April 2004 |
| Rail Seminar, Cardiff | 28 April 2004 |
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| Visit | Date(s) of visit |
|---|---|
| Visit to Coventry University | 4 December 2003 |
| AA Control Centre visit, Farnborough | 8 December 2003 |
| Launch of Queen Mary 2, Southampton | 8 January 2004 |
| Visit to Severn View "green refuelling" station, Bristol | 22 January 2004 |
| 'Sustainable Communities' visit, Redruth | 2 February 2004 |
| Visit to Ford Plant, Southampton | 26 February 2004 |
| Regional visit, Yorkshire | 3 March 2004 |
| Visit to Highway Agency Office and Exeter Airport | 25 March 2004 |
| RoSPA Conference, Brighton | 29 March 2004 |
| DVLA Campaign, Plymouth | 6 March 2004 |
| A249 Kent "sod cutting" and "Greenergy" visit, Maidstone | 29 March 2004 |
| Visit | Date(s) of visit |
|---|---|
| Visit to Leaside Regeneration Ltd.—Bow Flyover redesign and infrastructure improvements | 4 December 2003 |
| Opening Torquay pedestrianisation scheme | 8 January 2004 |
| Visit to Thames Gateway—Stratford area in relation to transport and the Olympic bid | 7 January 2004 |
| Opening Harrogate bus station and a Bus Challenge project | 12 January 2004 |
| Launch of "MAVIS" Rig at Mobility Advice and Vehicle Information centre, Berks and visit to Air Accident Investigation Branch | 22 January 2004 |
| Havant—Government Liveability announcement | 2 February 2004 |
| Tour of Thames Gateway with South Essex partnership | 2 March 2004 |
| Speech to South East Regional Assembly, Woking and visit to Government Office for the South East, Guildford | 3 March 2004 |
| Launch of the Solent Travelcard, Portsmouth | 4 March 2004 |
| Launch of Urban Bus Challenge project, Corby | 15 March 2004 |
| Opening of Surrey's Network Management Information Centre, Leatherhead | 24 March 2004 |
| Visit to Com Cab taxi company, Harrow | 29 March 2004 |
| Launch of a bus fleet, Hove | 2 March 2004 |
| Visit to Rural Bus Challenge scheme, Doncaster | 20 March 2004 |
| Opening of public transport interchange scheme, Newcastle | 21 March 2004 |
| Opening of British Transport Police mobile custody suite, Stratford, London | 22March 2004 |
| Visit to an urban regeneration company and viewing of Local Transport Plan funded projects, Cornwall | 28 April 2004 |
26 May 2004 : Column 1629W
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