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School Buses

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what regulations apply to the safety of children who are fare-paying passengers on designated school buses; what regulations apply to the supervision of such children; and if he will make a statement. [20005]

Ms Buck: The same regulations apply to vehicles used on these services as apply to vehicles used on a local bus service available to the general public. There are no regulations as such that apply to the supervision of such children. Where local authorities consider that supervision is required on school buses they can stipulate this in their tender documents.
 
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Terrorist Suspect Renditions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to establish whether aircraft passing through UK airports are being used for the extraordinary rendition of terrorist suspects; and if he will make a statement. [19226]

Ms Buck [holding answer 19 October 2005]: Where aircraft are making refuelling or other technical stops at UK airports there is no requirement on the operators to provide passenger lists. We are not currently aware of any evidence that aircraft passing through UK airports have been used for the purposes described.

Transport Studies

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many studies of transport funded by his Department are in progress within the (a) Essex and (b) Greater London areas; and what the cost of such studies is in (i) internal departmental costs and (ii) fees and payments to consultants and research organisations. [20004]

Ms Buck: Essex county council receives funding from DfT for capital and maintenance programmes. The council determines its priorities and how it wishes to spend its funds through its Local Transport Plan. The authority has the choice to commission transport studies from funding and can decide who is best suited to undertake any such study.

The funding arrangements with the Mayor of London are different from the rest of the country. However, the principle remains the same with the mayor deciding whether funds should be spent on transport studies.

Volunteering

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many volunteering positions his Department has offered in each of the last five years. [17883]

Ms Buck: The Department for Transport recognises the benefits of volunteering both to the individual and the organisation as outlined in the Department's strategy Working in Partnership with the Voluntary and Community Sector".

The Department does not hold information on the number of volunteering positions offered in each of the last five years. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Property Sales (Vauxhall)

Kate Hoey: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how many properties the Church Commissioners have sold in Vauxhall constituency in the last two years. [19709]

Sir Stuart Bell: The Commissioners have sold 135 residential and seven commercial properties in the Vauxhall constituency in the last two years.
 
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Kate Hoey: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what assurances have been given to the tenants of properties sold by the Church Commissioners in Vauxhall constituency in the last two years regarding the level of their rent. [19710]

Sir Stuart Bell: The sale was of the freehold only; existing tenancy arrangements were not changed. Future tenancy arrangements will be for the new owners, a 50/50 partnership between a social housing provider and a private landlord.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Departmental Vehicles

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Solicitor-General how many vehicles for which the Law Officers' Department are responsible are fitted with retreaded tyres. [17978]

The Solicitor-General: For information on the use of retread tyres in vehicles provided to departments by the Government Car and Dispatch Agency I refer the hon. Member to the letter of 11 October 2005 which he received from the Chief Executive of the GCDA, reference UIN 15087 and UIN 15088. Copies of this letter are available in the Library.

I am told the Departments which the Law Officers' supervise, the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office, the Serious Fraud Office, the Treasury Solicitor's Department and HM CPS Inspectorate, do not own or lease any vehicles. The Crown Prosecution Service has 20 leased vehicles, none of which use retreaded tyres.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

1911 Census

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs by what means members of the public can gain access to information from the 1911 Census. [19844]

Ms Harman: It is Government policy that decennial census returns should remain closed for a period of 100 years. The National Archives is, therefore, developing plans to make the 1911 census publicly available online in 2012.

Access to Justice

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps she has taken to ensure access to justice for residents of the EU working in England and Wales. [19068]

Ms Harman: The Government is working with European partners on a programme of measures aimed at making it easier for citizens to resolve civil disputes across European borders, to improve mutual recognition of judgments throughout Europe and to enable uncontested debts to be collected without going to court.
 
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The Government has also implemented the European Union Directive on civil legal aid in cross-border cases. That directive will mean that UK and other European citizens who are eligible according to member states' rules will now be able to receive legal aid and assistance in civil disputes throughout the European Union.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance has been given to juvenile courts in relation to custodial sentences for offenders in breach of antisocial behaviour orders. [20740]

Ms Harman: At present no specific guidance has been issued to courts on sentencing children and young persons for breach of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs).

The responsibility for issuing definitive guidelines on sentencing rests with the Sentencing Guidelines Council (SGC), which was established under the Criminal Justice Act 2003. The SGC's work programme for 2005–06 includes the sentencing of young offenders, as well as for breaches of orders. The Council guidelines will be based on advice from the Sentencing Advisory Panel following a wide-ranging public consultation.

Court-admissible DNA Tests

David T.C. Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what guidance her Department issues to laboratories which wish to become accredited to provide court-admissible DNA tests; [20036]

(2) what measures are in place to ensure that laboratories not accredited to conduct court-admissible DNA tests do not submit DNA tests in court hearings; [20110]

(3) how many laboratories with accreditation to undertake court-admissible DNA testing have closed down in the last five years; [20111]

(4) how many laboratories have had their applications for licences to undertake court-admissible DNA tests turned down in each of the last four years for which figures are available; and what reasons were given for turning down their applications in each case; [20120]

(5) whether laboratories accredited to conduct court-admissible DNA testing are permitted to contract DNA tests out to other (a) accredited companies and (b) other unaccredited companies. [20121]

(6) what consultations were undertaken in the drawing up of the criteria applicable to laboratories applying for a licence to conduct DNA tests for paternity cases; [20122]

(7) what criteria her Department applies to laboratories applying for a licence to conduct court-admissible DNA tests; and when the criteria were most recently updated; [20123]

(8) how many laboratories licensed to undertake court-admissible DNA testing are operating in the UK; and how many laboratories have applications pending to undertake such testing; [20124]
 
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(9) if she will list the laboratories licensed to conduct court-admissible DNA tests; and which (a) hold and (b) do not hold an International Standards Organisation 17025 Certificate; [20125]

(10) how many visits representatives of the Department made to the laboratories of DNA Diagnostics in Ohio, USA; and how many visits have been made by agencies based in the US on the Department's behalf; [21598]

(11) if she will list the companies accredited by the Department for conducting court-admissible DNA tests which have laboratories outside the UK; [21275]

(12) whether the Department has received representations concerning DNA Bioscience from the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) during 2005; [21276]

(13) if she will place in the Library a copy of the application for accreditation to conduct court-admissible DNA tests submitted by DNA Bioscience; [21599]

(14) what systems are in place to monitor the financial accounts of companies that have been accredited to conduct court-admissible DNA tests; [21600]

(15) what action will be taken by the Department against companies that supply incorrect information during the accreditation process for conducting court-admissible DNA tests. [21601]

Bridget Prentice: My Department is currently investigating the matters raised in the hon. Member's questions, and I will write when I am in a position to do so.

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