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1 Dec 2005 : Column 656W—continued
TRANSPORT
Correspondence
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Brent, East dated 22 March on behalf of MsChristine Hilder and Mr. Carl Ernsting. [33857]
Ms Buck: The Department had no trace of receiving the letter from the hon. Member for Brent, East dated 22 March at the time but a copy was obtained from her office on 30 November. The subject matter is one for which Ministers at HM Treasury have responsibility and they will be replying to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will amend regulations to prevent the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency from providing names and addresses of vehicle owners to private companies and individuals. [33695]
Dr. Ladyman: I will be making a written statement on Friday 2 December.
Integrated Kent Franchise
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce a decision on the Integrated Kent Franchise. [33462]
Derek Twigg:
I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made to the House by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State on 30 November 2005, Official Report, columns 33–34WS, advising that the Integrated Kent Franchise Agreement had been signed by GoVia, who are now contracted to run the franchise from 1 April next year.
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M5 Traffic Flows
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will conduct a full evaluation of traffic flows at Junction 12 on the M5, including (a) queuing on the slip road and (b) related use of the B4008. [33150]
Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 30 November 2005]: A study of the operation of Junction 12 on the M5 is due to be completed by May 2006. The study will incorporate a survey to evaluate traffic flows at the junction, including use of the B4008. This initial survey is programmed for completion during January 2006.
Railways
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the costs of maintenance on the rail network have been in each winter since 1999–2000, broken down by region. [32646]
Derek Twigg: Network Rail is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the rail network. Network Rail will respond directly to the hon. Member.
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what subsidy the Government have given to the railway industry in each year since 1997. [34154]
Derek Twigg: Details of historic Government support to the rail industry are set out in table 6.2a of the latest edition of National Rail Trends, copies of which are in the Library of the House.
TREASURY
Bio-fuels
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his policy on duty rates on fuel from pure vegetable oil in relation to duty rates on conventional fuels. [33791]
John Healey: A reduced rate of duty for biodiesel was introduced in July 2002 in recognition of its environmental benefits and its higher production costs than conventional diesel. Fuel produced from vegetable oil is eligible for this lower rate (currently 27.10 pence per litre) if it meets the legal definition of biodiesel for tax purposes set out in section 2AA of the Hydrocarbon Oil Duties Act 1979.
Child Trust Fund
Mr. Davey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research his Department has carried out into the income levels of eligible families who have opened child trust fund accounts relative to eligible families who have not. [33612]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
Parents have up to a year from the issue of the Child Trust voucher in which to open an account for their child and this period has yet to expire for the first vouchers issued. The income level of eligible families who do not open accounts is something that the Government will want to look at alongside other research. This includes qualitative research with parents in lower income households to make sure that the materials sent to parents are likely to appeal to the target audience.
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Mr. Davey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many child trust fund accounts have been opened in England, broken down by ethnicity of the child. [33613]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: This information is not available. Information on the global number of Child Trust Fund accounts opened is available at:
Mr. Davey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many child trust fund accounts have been opened since the programme began, broken down by region. [33614]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The latest quarterly Child Trust Fund statistics were published on 30 November 2005 at:
Jim Sheridan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in Paisley and Renfrewshire North have opened child trust fund accounts. [34308]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Child trust fund information at constituency level would be available only at disproportionate cost. UK-wide information on the number of child trust fund vouchers issued and the number of accounts opened are published on the HMRC website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_trust_funds/child-trust-funds.htm. Data showing activity to 20 November was published on the 30 November 2005.
Corporation Tax (Lancashire)
Mr. Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much corporation tax was raised from businesses in Lancashire in each year since 1997. [34068]
Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available to estimate the amount of corporation tax raised from businesses in Lancashire in each year since 1997.
Endowment Mortgages
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on endowment mortgage complaints that are upheld by the Financial Ombudsman Service and rejected by insurance companies. [33672]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: For the last full financial year (ending 31 March 2005), the Financial Ombudsman Service received 69,737 mortgage endowment complaints. In the same period, the ombudsman service resolved 48,018 of these cases, of which 47.3 per cent. were upheld (either wholly or in part) in the consumer's favour.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints about endowment mortgages were made to the Financial Ombudsman Service in each of the last five years; and how many were upheld. [33673]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
The Financial Ombudsman Service brought together eight separate dispute resolution schemes covering the financial services sector and
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assumed its powers under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 on 1 December 2001. The following table shows the number of mortgage endowment cases received by the ombudsman service in each full financial year since year ending 31 March 2001 and shows the percentage breakdown of resolved cases upheld (either wholly or in part) in the consumers favour.
Year ending | Mortgage endowment complaints received | Percentage of resolved cases upheld |
|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | 69,737 | 47.3 |
| 2003–04 | 51,917 | 32.5 |
| 2002–03 | 13,750 | 45.8 |
| 2001–02 | 14,595 | n/a |
| 2000–01 | 9,067 | n/a |
n/a=Not available.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints about endowment mortgages were upheld by the Financial Ombudsman Service but were then rejected by the insurance company in each of the last five years. [33762]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Once an ombudsman has made a final decision it is binding on the firm, if the consumer accepts it. Where a final decision has been issued and a firm has failed to comply with an award made by an ombudsman, the ombudsman's decision is then enforceable in court. No records are available on the number of enforcement actions of this nature that are taken.
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