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Written Answers to Questions
Friday 25 February 2005
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
HIV/AIDS (Children)
Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development by what date the review of country assistance plans in countries with large numbers of orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS will be completed. [217558]
Hilary Benn: Country assistance plans (CAPs) are reviewed annually by DFID country offices. The purpose of CAPs is to report progress against public service agreement (PSA) targets that includes tackling HIV and AIDS. This year, reviews will have a strong focus on assessing what progress each country has made on AIDS, and what contribution the international community has made, and where further action will be required.
TRANSPORT
A38 (Ivybridge)
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide a second entrance/exit for Ivybridge on the A38; and if he will make a statement. [218054]
Mr. Jamieson: I have no plans to provide another junction on the A38 to serve Ivybridge.
Congestion does occur on local roads within Ivybridge during peak periods. However, relief of congestion on the local road network is a matter for the local highway authority.
Facilitating further use of the trunk road to solve these problems would be contrary to Government policy.
Catering Costs
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on (a) entertainment lunches involving civil servants and guests and (b) working lunches, in each year since 1997. [215041]
Charlotte Atkins: The Department does not maintain separate records of the expenditure on entertainment lunches and/or working lunches and is unable to provide figures in the breakdown requested without incurring disproportionate cost.
I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 13 January 2005, Official Report, column 599W, for expenditure on entertainment for 2002–03 and 2003–04.
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Highways
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice he gives to highways authorities regarding the use of keep clear zones on (a) highways and (b) other roads. [218243]
Charlotte Atkins: The Department for Transport's advice on the use of keep clear markings is set out in section 22 of Chapter 5 of the Traffic Signs Manual. A new edition was published in 2003. The guidance is applicable to all roads to which the public has access.
Noise Pollution (Heathrow Airport)
Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies his Department has conducted on the effect at different times of day and night of noise pollution in Battersea from Heathrow airport. [218516]
Charlotte Atkins: The Department and its predecessors have commissioned a range of studies over the years about the effects of aircraft noise on annoyance and sleep disturbance at various times of day and night. These include the large-scale "Aircraft Noise Index Study" (CAA DR Report 8402) in the early 1980s, and the DoT "Report of a Field Study of Aircraft Noise and Sleep Disturbance" in the early 1990s. Neither study included fieldwork in Battersea, but the results of both can be generalized to that area.
On behalf of the Department, a consortium led by the MVA Consultancy is currently engaged in a major study of "Attitudes to Noise from Aircraft Sources in England" (ANASE). If this project proceeds to its second (major fieldwork and analysis) phase, sites will be sampled from a wide range of possible areas around Heathrow and other airports.
Railways (Trespass)
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action is being taken (a) by his Department and (b) by Network Rail to warn young people of the dangers of trespassing on railway property. [218142]
Mr. McNulty:
The cross-industry National Route Crime Group (NRCG), whose membership includes the Department and Network Rail, works with schools to educate young people about the dangers of trespassing on the railway. The NRCG has helped to create a number of interactive educational materials, for example the 'Trakkies' website for younger children and the 'Track Off' website which provides educational materials for teachers and which is accredited under the National Grid for Learning scheme. Network Rail, the British Transport Police and a number of train operating companies also have staff who visit schools on a regular basis to reinforce safety messages. The NRCG's Annual Plan 2005, copies of which will be placed in the Libraries of the House and are available at www.trackoff.org , describes the approach to be taken to increase awareness of railway crime issues during this year. Network Rail will also be launching a campaign before the school Easter break aimed at reminding older children and young teenagers about the dangers of the railway.
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Trunk Roads (Bristol)
Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list all major trunk roads west of Bristol. [218304]
Mr. Jamieson: The major trunk roads currently due west of Bristol's north/south line are:
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Kempton Park/Betting Offices
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what representations she has received from the Racecourse Holdings Trust regarding its plans to build an all-weather horseracing track at Kempton Park; and if she will make a statement; [218106]
(2) if she will review the restrictions on the opening hours of licensed betting offices with a view to increasing opening hours in the summer; and if she will make a statement. [218107]
Mr. Caborn: We have been informed of the company's plans to build such a track, and of its belief that it would benefit from increased betting turnover flowing from an extension later into the evening, during the winter months, of the hours during which licensed betting offices are allowed to open. We have already announced our intention to allow such an extension when the Gambling Bill, if enacted, is brought into force.
TREASURY
Business Prosecutions
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many prosecutions of (a) small and medium enterprises and (b) large businesses were brought in 2003–04 for breaches of regulations sponsored by his Department; how much in total was imposed in fines in each case; and how many visits were made in 2003–04 by officials from his Department or agencies for which his Department is responsible to verify regulatory compliance in each case. [217179]
Mr. Timms:
In 2003–04 the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise undertook prosecutions only for breaches of criminal law, and not for breaches of regulations. Details of the criminal prosecution activity undertaken in 2003–04 are set out in the Annual Reports produced by each of those departments, copies of which are available in the House of Commons Library. Those figures do not, however, give details of the number of prosecutions involving small and medium enterprises
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and large businesses; the amount of fines imposed by the Courts in those cases; nor the number of visits made by officials to verify compliance in those cases.
That additional information is not readily accessible and could be ascertained only at disproportionate cost. In the case of regulations made by the Treasury for financial services regulation, 31 prosecutions were brought in 2003–04 by the Financial Services Authority under powers conferred as a result of the transfer of functions to it by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Mutual Societies) Order 2001 (SI 2001/2617). Of these prosecutions, 16 were for failure to file returns required by s.39 Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965, as amended by the 2001 Order and 15 were for breach of s.43 Friendly Societies Act 1974, also as amended by that Order. The prosecutions were brought for offences contrary to s.61 of the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965 and section 98 of the Friendly Societies Act 1974. All resulted in convictions. In four cases, 12-month conditional discharges were ordered and in the other 27 cases fines totalling £16,675 were imposed.
It has not been possible in the time available to ascertain the number of visits made in the context of each case in order to verify regulatory compliance, as visits which may be characterised in this way are made on a regular basis by staff of the Financial Services Authority. Nor has it been possible in the time available to obtain a breakdown of prosecutions by size of firm.
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