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20 Jul 2005 : Column 1806W—continued
Yellow School Buses
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the yellow school bus pilots on traffic congestion. [13361]
Ms Buck: We know from our evaluation of various small-scale yellow and other dedicated school bus schemes that well-designed schemes have the potential to reduce car dependency for journeys to school and the traffic congestion that results from this. However, care needs to be taken to ensure that schemes are appropriate to local circumstances and, in particular, that they do not reduce levels of walking or cycling or undermine the viability of important commercial bus services.
We approved £18.7 million funding for a much larger yellow bus scheme serving schools in West Yorkshire as part of the local transport settlement for 2004–05. We are currently working closely with West Yorkshire PTE to evaluate the impacts of this scheme on a range of issues including traffic levels around schools and the number of pupils transferring from car to bus.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Children in Poverty
Mr. Hepburn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children of school age in
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(a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK live in a family where neither parent works. [12067]
John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Stephen Hepburn, dated 20 July 2005:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about children living in families where neither parent works. (12067)
The attached table shows the number and proportion of children, aged five to fifteen, in families with no resident parent in work for the three-month period ending November 2004. The figures include the children of married or cohabiting couples where neither parent is working, and those living with a lone parent who is not working.
These estimates are based on Labour Force Survey data which, as with any sample survey, is subject to sampling variability.
(40) Children aged 5 to 15 years.
(41) Estimates have not been adjusted for families in which the economic status of one or both parents is unknown.
(42) Percentages are based on families including couples and lone parents.
(43) Estimates for South Tyneside and Jarrow are based on smaller sample sizes and are therefore subject to a higher degree of sampling variability. They should therefore be treated with caution.
Source:
Labour Force Survey
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Consultants
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which consultants have been employed by his Department in each of the last three years. [893]
Margaret Hodge: It is not possible to break this figure down into separate years because contracts can span more than one year and be extended due to delays. In the last three financial years the Department for Work and Pensions has employed consultants from the following 152 suppliers:
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to issue guidance on effective commissioning for those in the public and voluntary sectors who are commissioning work from external consultants. [7031]
Margaret Hodge:
DWP recognises the need for effective commissioning on external consultancy. All requests for external consults for DWP and its businesses are acquired competitively through existing OGC and our own specialised frameworks to secure optimum value for money.
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I also refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (John Healey) on 27 June 2005, Official Report, column 1286W.
DWP has no responsibility regarding the voluntary sector and does not fund any voluntary bodies to commission external resources.
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