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Strategic Rail Authority

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the Function Mapping Report and Directorate Capability statements commissioned by his Department on Strategic Rail Authority responsibilities. [211085]

Mr. McNulty: The Department commissioned a report from KPMG on SRA and DfT Rail functions and business activities. The report was concluded in July 2004, and since then the SRA has re-organised. I will arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House.

Street Works

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2005, Official Report, column 214W, on street works, if he will place in the Library copies of the documents to which reference is made. [212386]

Charlotte Atkins: Copies of the report Estimation of the Cost of Delay from Utilities' Street Works", carried out for the Department for Transport by Halcrow, were placed in the Libraries of the House on 14 October 2004.
 
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Copies of a report carried out for the National Joint Utilities Group on the same subject can be found at: http://www.transport.uwe.ac.uk/research/projects/njug-congestion.htm.

Working Time Directive

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will publish the regulations implementing the Working Time Directive for Transport. [218618]

Mr. Jamieson: I expect to be able to table the implementing regulations before Parliament very shortly.

Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many representations he has received about the implementation of the road transport working time directive; and if he will make a statement. [218917]

Mr. Jamieson: Following our consultation on the draft implementing regulations and guidance we received over 50 responses. I will shortly be announcing the Government's conclusions following the consultation, together with a summary of the responses received.

Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons the road transport working time directive is being incorporated in domestic law. [218918]

Mr. Jamieson: Unlike EU regulations, which are directly applicable, EU directives are addressed to member states, and it is for member states to transpose the legislation into national law.

Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of the road transport working time directive on road safety. [218919]

Mr. Jamieson: Our partial regulatory impact assessment, published alongside our consultation, estimated the road safety benefits of the directive, in terms of accident costs avoided, at between £15–30 million per year.

Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact of the road transport working time directive on the profitability of (a) road haulage firms and (b) road haulage client businesses. [218920]

Mr. Jamieson: Our partial regulatory impact assessment, published alongside our consultation, estimated the costs to road haulage firms, in terms of need for additional staff costs of between £250-£500 million per year. No judgments were made about how much of this cost would be passed on to client business. Nor has any quantification been made of the possible commercial benefits of the directive, for example in reduced costs from lower driver turnover if the directive makes the job more attractive.
 
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DEFENCE

BAE Systems/Finmeccanica

Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of whether the proposed restructuring of BAE Systems and Finmeccanica may lead to the loss of key technologies and classified information from the UK. [218935]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 1 March 2005]: BAE Systems and Finmeccanica's proposed restructuring of their communications, avionics and system integration businesses (Eurosystems) is currently being considered by the Regulator (Office of Fair Trading (OFT)). The Ministry of Defence's submission on the proposed restructuring has been passed to the OFT. The submission seeks to ensure that our national security interests are protected as a result of the restructuring.

Departmental Finances

Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force Institute accounts for financial years 1997–98 to 2003–04. [217994]

Mr. Ingram: Arrangements will be made for a copy of these, and future annual Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI) Accounts, to be placed in the Library of the House.

Dyslexia

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of personnel in each of the armed services have been diagnosed with dyslexia; what studies have been undertaken to investigate the (a) welfare and (b) operational impact of dyslexics in the armed forces; and what special measures are available to (i) identify and (ii) assist soldiers who may be dyslexic. [217798]

Mr. Caplin: The armed forces do not screen recruits for dyslexia, nor are personnel obliged to disclose that they are dyslexic. Nonetheless, dyslexia may emerge during initial training or in service; 394 RN and 144 RAF personnel have been identified. The Army intends in the future to capture the number of dyslexic learners receiving support.

While no studies have been undertaken to investigate the welfare and operational impact of dyslexics in the armed forces, every service unit has access to guidance on dyslexia. All three services have specialists which administer the dyslexia adult screening test (DAST) to assess personnel once an instructor or trainee, line manager or member of the services suspect dyslexia. The DAST result will determine whether further specialist assessment by an educational psychologist is required and also provide a profile of strengths and weaknesses which will support the remedial training programme.

The armed forces assist personnel with dyslexia during their training and throughout their service career; for example, dyslexic personnel can attend
 
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funded training at local colleges. As a result of assessment, extra time may be given in some service examinations with the approval of the appropriate examination authority. Notwithstanding this allowance, all service personnel must achieve the training performance standard. Following learning support, if an individual is unable to meet the operational performance standard they will, where possible, be retrained or moved to another trade.

Falklands Anniversary

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 21 February 2005, Official Report, column 117W, on the Falklands anniversary, if his Department will have talks with the Royal British Legion concerning the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War. [219036]

Mr. Caplin: I should be happy to meet representatives of The Royal British Legion, but to date they have expressed no wish for a meeting.

Gibraltar

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are for the role of the (a) Army, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Royal Navy in Gibraltar; and what spending plans there are for each service's role in Gibraltar. [218620]

Mr. Ingram: Plans for the role of the armed forces in Gibraltar are unchanged. Commander British Forces' mission is to secure and maintain key sites and air and sea ports of disembarkation, which allow reinforcement, in order to ensure Gibraltar's security and territorial integrity, and provide staging and mounting facilities for UK and coalition operations elsewhere. Cascading from this, the Royal Navy's role, in conjunction with the Royal Gibraltar police, is to maintain the security and integrity of British Territorial Waters with a visible maritime presence.

The Royal Gibraltar Regiment contributes to the protection of key facilities in Gibraltar and provides immediate military support to the governor. The RAF's role is to sustain the airfield and associated facilities as an operational airhead, and to facilitate the safe use of the airfield by civilian operators. Linked together, these components provide a collective capability that, together with other local agencies, is charged with providing for the defence and security of Gibraltar. This also provides the capacity for British armed forces to use Gibraltar in support of other operations outside of the territory.

As a result of a recent review into its structure and tasks, the Royal Gibraltar Regiment will be reconfigured, resulting in a small increase in regular soldiers.

Future spending plans have not yet been set. We have yet to complete our planning round and the budget will be set in due course.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much land in Gibraltar is held by his Department; and what plans he has for such landholding. [218621]

Mr. Ingram: As at 25 February 2005, British Forces Gibraltar hold 153.364 Hectares. Once the transfer of land to the Government of Gibraltar under the Lands
 
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Agreement is complete, British Forces Gibraltar will hold 119.43 hectares. In addition, the Government of Gibraltar has asked for a further 0.363 hectares for their new power station and the land at Windmill Hill parade ground. This land will be transferred to the Government of Gibraltar in due course, in accordance with the Land Transfer Agreement.

The 119.43 hectares of land that the Commander British Forces Gibraltar will retain following the transfer of land under the lands agreement, will be used to fulfil Commander British Forces Gibraltar's mission. His mission is to secure and maintain key sites and air and sea ports of disembarkation, which allow reinforcement, in order to ensure Gibraltar's security and territorial integrity, and provide staging and mounting facilities for UK and coalition operations elsewhere.

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