House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 2 Feb 2006 (pt 9)

2 Feb 2006 : Column 653W—continued

Pipeline (Milford Haven)

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library the map of stage 1 of the liquid gas pipeline from (a) Milford Haven to Tirley and (b) Milford Haven to Felindre. [47552]

Malcolm Wicks: A copy of the map showing the route of the natural gas pipeline from Milford Haven to Aberdulais will be placed in the Libraries of the House. No application has yet been made for a pipeline from Felindre to Tilrey.

2 Feb 2006 : Column 654W

Public Relations Companies

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the public relations companies that have had contracts with (a) his Department, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible and (c) independent statutory bodies, organisations and bodies financially sponsored by his Department and other such organisations since May 1997. [39093]

Alan Johnson: The following companies have been awarded public relations contracts from the DTI since 2002:

Harrison Cowley

Fishburn Hedges

GCI

Countrywide

Prowse

This information has been sought through the Central Office of Information. To collate information prior to this would exceed disproportionate costs.

Expenditure by non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies and independent statutory bodies is not held centrally, therefore to collate would exceed disproportionate costs.

Sizewell B (Waste Heat)

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with British Energy to explore the technical and economic possibilities of distributing the waste heat from Sizewell B power plant via a heat grid. [46569]

Malcolm Wicks: None.

Postgraduates

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Department is taking to (a) retain and (b) attract postgraduates in the UK work force; and what estimate he has made of the number of people with postgraduate qualifications relevant to business and industry that leave the UK to work abroad each year. [43077]

Alan Johnson: We have introduced several initiatives—we have raised Research Council-funded PhD stipends; improved professional training in PhDs; increased the average Research Council postdoctoral salary; improved training for postdoctoral researchers and introduced 1,000 new academic fellowships. A recent research report by the Higher Education Policy

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Institute stated that the UK gained 40 per cent. more staff than it lost over an eight-year period, from highly cited academics to post doctoral staff.

My Department does not have any specific estimates of numbers leaving the UK to work abroad. I understand the Higher Education Statistics Agency collects data on destinations of postgraduates.

TRANSPORT

Anti-terrorism Legislation (Railway Enthusiasts)

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he has given to the British Transport Police on the application of anti-terrorism legislation to the activities of railway enthusiasts who choose to photograph trains and stations. [42286]

Derek Twigg: The Department has not issued any such guidance to the British Transport Police (BTP). Railway enthusiasts are frequently present on the rail infrastructure, are knowledgeable about railway operations and know what is or is not usual. They are in a good position to report any suspicious activity to the police and BTP actively encourage them, like any other user of rail services and stations, to do so.

BTP officers would not normally use powers under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 to stop and search rail enthusiasts. However, in certain circumstances, photographing and videoing of railway infrastructure could be one possible indication of hostile surveillance and officers may judge it necessary to question, and possibly search, an individual. In this context, rail enthusiasts are not treated any differently from any other individual.

Cycling

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on cycling safety in each of the last 20 years. [48012]

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Dr. Ladyman: Most spending on cycle safety in England is undertaken by local highway authorities. This includes capital spending on infrastructure schemes such as cycle lanes, which may have traffic management as well as safety benefits. It also includes revenue spending on cycle training, other educational initiatives and local cycle safety publicity. Since 2001–02, capital spending by English authorities outside London has been recorded through the local transport plan system, but this was not recorded centrally for earlier years. Revenue spending on road safety comes from local authorities' own resources and is not recorded centrally.

The Department for Transport also produces cycle safety publicity and resources at national level. Figures for annual spending are only available as far back as 2002–03. Our road safety challenge grant scheme, which has been running since 2002–03, has funded a number of projects that are wholly or partly to improve cycle safety. Figures for spending on cycle safety projects under previous grant schemes are not available. The Department also includes projects on cycle safety in its road safety research programme, though figures are available only from 1999–2000.

The Department has also from time to time funded various schemes to promote cycling, including infrastructure, facilities and training, which will have included safety benefits. From 2005–06, this role has been taken on by Cycling England, which now receives £5 million per year from the Department, to spend on a range of infrastructure, training and publicity measures.

Available figures are shown in the following table. These may include amounts sent on cycling infrastructure and facilities that was not entirely safety-related and amounts spent on road safety publicity and education that was not entirely cycling related. These figures do not include spending on infrastructure, facilities, education and publicity that had wider road safety benefits for all road users, including cyclists. No figures are available for earlier years.
£ million

LA capital spending on cycle infrastructure (England outside London) LA capital spending on cycle infrastructure (London) LA revenue spending on cycle training, education and publicity DfT spending on grants for cycle safety schemes and on cycle safety publicity DfT spending on cycle safety research DfT spending on cycle promotion, with some safety benefits (Cycling England from 2005–06)

1996–97 ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾— 2.00

1997–98 ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾—

1998–99 ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾—

1999–2000 ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾— 0.06 ⁽⁵⁾—

2000–01 ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾— 0.00 ⁽⁵⁾—

2001–02 29.58     £50 million
⁽⁵⁾— ⁽⁵⁾— 0.02 ⁽⁵⁾—

2002–03 39.90 1/2    over 5 years
⁽⁵⁾— 0.06 0.06 2.18

2003–04 32.13     (no breakdown
⁽⁵⁾— 0.18 0.00 2.19.

2004–05 38.89 1/2    available)
⁽⁵⁾— 0.07 0.05 10.12

2005–06 35.39
⁽⁵⁾— 0.27 0.06 5.00

⁽⁵⁾ unknown

	LA capital spending on cycle infrastructure (England outside London)	LA capital spending on cycle infrastructure (London)	LA revenue spending on cycle training, education and publicity	DfT spending on grants for cycle safety schemes and on cycle safety publicity	DfT spending on cycle safety research	DfT spending on cycle promotion, with some safety benefits (Cycling England from 2005–06)
1996–97	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—	2.00
1997–98	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—
1998–99	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—
1999–2000	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—	0.06	⁽⁵⁾—
2000–01	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—	0.00	⁽⁵⁾—
2001–02	29.58	£50 million	⁽⁵⁾—	⁽⁵⁾—	0.02	⁽⁵⁾—
2002–03	39.90	1/2 over 5 years	⁽⁵⁾—	0.06	0.06	2.18
2003–04	32.13	(no breakdown	⁽⁵⁾—	0.18	0.00	2.19.
2004–05	38.89	1/2 available)	⁽⁵⁾—	0.07	0.05	10.12
2005–06	35.39		⁽⁵⁾—	0.27	0.06	5.00

Buses

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which local authorities have introduced reduced bus fare schemes for people under 16 years since 1997. [47039]

Ms Buck: There was no change in the coverage of reduced bus fare schemes between 1997 and 2001. In a number of cases, newly-created unitary authorities introduced reduced bus fare schemes similar to those that existed before the authority was created. No information is available for years since 2001. Free local

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bus travel for people under the age of 16 was introduced in London in September 2005, for travel on Transport for London's bus network. This replaced a flat fare scheme.

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