20 Oct 2005 : Column 1101W
Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 20 October 2005
HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION
Disabled Access
Dr. Cable: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what assessments of the facilities and procedures in Parliament have been made in relation to the Disability Discrimination Act 2005; and if he will make a statement. [17850]
Nick Harvey: Improvements in access to the Parliamentary Estate for people with disabilities have been ongoing for many years. A Disability Access Audit Report was produced in April 2004 which set out the then current situation and recommended a continuing programme of improvements. Notable recent projects have included installation of ramps, such as in Star Chamber Court; installation or modification of lifts and the installation of hearing loops in Committee Rooms. There is an ongoing programme of work to improve lifts in and around the Parliamentary Estate to aid access for people with disabilities and access audits have been commissioned for each building comprising the Parliamentary Estate.
Steel Barriers
Mr. Purchase: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the total cost of the installation of the steel barriers on the roadside of the Palace of Westminster was; what estimate has been made of the annual costs of maintaining these barriers; and what the estimated cost of their removal is. [19251]
Nick Harvey: The cash cost incurred is estimated to be £980,000, to be shared with the House of Lords. Annual maintenance costs are expected to be minimal. Funds have been set aside for a removal contract but these details are yet to be finalised.
Mr. Purchase: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what level of security risk was quantified in the advice that led to the replacement of the concrete blocks outside the Palace of Westminster by a steel barrier; and what the reason was for the extension of the new barrier beyond the perimeter marked out by the former concrete blocks. [19252]
Nick Harvey:
This project was approved after full consideration by the Joint Committee on Security, but it is not the practice to provide details of security advice.
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CABINET OFFICE
Departmental Vehicles
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many vehicles for which his Office is responsible are fitted with retreaded tyres. [17996]
Mr. Jim Murphy: For information on the use of retreaded or recycled tyres in vehicles provided to the Department by the Government Car and Despatch Agency I refer the hon. Member to the letter of 11 October 2005 which he received from the Chief Executive of the GCDA, reference UIN15087 and UIN15088. Copies of this letter are available in the Library.
In addition the Department owns and operates two Toyota Prius's. These are not fitted with recycled or retreaded tyres.
Linux OpenSource Software
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list those Government Departments and agencies which (a) use Linux OpenSource software and (b) have licensing and service agreements with Microsoft. [19135]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The Cabinet Office and Office of Government Commerce do not hold this information centrally.
It is for individual Departments and agencies to decide which software to purchase, in accordance with the Government's procurement policy of achieving best value for money.
PRIME MINISTER
Departmental Vehicles
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Prime Minister how many vehicles for which his Office is responsible are fitted with retreaded tyres. [17976]
The Prime Minister: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr.Hutton) today.
Volunteering
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Prime Minister how many volunteering positions his Office has offered in each of the last five years. [17879]
The Prime Minister:
My Office encourages all staff to take part in voluntary and community activities, and offers one day's special leave a year to do so. In addition, staff have, over the last five years, organised specific volunteering activities, including mentoring children in London schools and working with local communities on other projects.
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SCOTLAND
Correspondence
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his Department's policy is for dealing with correspondence received in (a) Welsh, (b) Scots Gaelic and (c) Irish Gaelic. [14697]
David Cairns: When someone writes to, or e-mails, the Scotland Office in Welsh, Scots Gaelic, or Irish Gaelic, we would make every reasonable effort to reply in the corresponding language, as we would with any other language in which the correspondence was written.
Departmental Vehicles
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many vehicles for which the Department is responsible are fitted with retreaded tyres. [17977]
David Cairns: The Scotland Office is not responsible for any vehicles. For information on the use of retread tyres in vehicles provided to the Office by the Government car and despatch agency (GCDA), I refer the hon. Member to the letter of 11 October which he received from the chief executive of the GCDA, reference UIN15087 and UIN15088. Copies of this letter are available in the Library.
Self-invested Personal Pensions
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding the impact on demand for second homes of allowing self-invested personal pensions to be invested in residential property. [19757]
David Cairns: My right hon. Friend has regular discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a range of issues affecting Scotland.
Statistics (Constituency Boundaries)
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether it is his policy to provide statistics relating to Scottish constituencies in terms of (a) Westminster and (b) Scottish Parliament boundaries. [15643]
David Cairns: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, on 10 October 2005, Official Report, column 313W.
Telephone Inquiries
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what facilities his Department has to deal with telephone inquiries in (a) Welsh, (b) Scots Gaelic and (c) Irish Gaelic. [14698]
David Cairns:
The Scotland Office shares the telephone system with the Scottish Executive who maintain a list of translators. In the event of a call in Welsh, Scots Gaelic or Irish Gaelic, the operator would identify an official on the list who could speak the relevant language; that official would liaise with the appropriate colleagues to ensure an answer was given to the caller.
20 Oct 2005 : Column 1104W
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Recycling
15. Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on levels of recycling in the UK. [19616]
Mr. Bradshaw: Provisional figures from the Municipal Waste Management Survey show that nearly 23 per cent. of household waste was recycled or composted in England in 2004–05, up from 18 per cent. in 2003–04.
An Environment Agency survey shows that 42 per cent. of commercial and industrial waste was recycled or reused in 2002–03.
A survey in 2001 by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister estimated that about 50 per cent. of construction and demolition waste was recycled.
18. Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) targets and (b) incentives exist to encourage the recycling of trade waste by shops and commercial premises. [19619]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Government have set a target to reduce the amount of commercial and industrial waste going to landfill to 85 per cent. of the 1998 levels by 2005. Instruments designed to assist in meeting these targets include the Packaging Waste Regulations and the landfill tax escalator.
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