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18 Apr 2006 : Column 644W—continued
Road Improvements
Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the South East of England Regional Assembly's recommendation on regional funding allocations with particular reference to high priority for the A3 Hindhead Improvement Scheme; and what recent assessment he has made of the affordability of the scheme. [63836]
Dr. Ladyman: We are currently considering the advice received from the South East of England Regional Assembly on its priorities for major transport schemes including the proposed A3 Hindhead Improvement. We are also considering the Inspector's report on this scheme.
Royal Travel
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding mechanism covers the 60 per cent. of royal travel not covered by the grant in aid for royal travel by air and rail. [63094]
Derek Twigg:
Approximately 40 per cent. of all official royal engagements involved travel where the cost was more than £2,500. Full details of these related
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journeys are provided in the appendix to the annual report on the grant in aid. The remaining official royal engagements that involved travel costs fall into the following two categories:
Journeys by air and rail costing less than £2,500—these are funded by the grant in aid and the total cost in 2004–05 was £2,849,745.
Journeys by car—official travel by car for HM the Queen is paid for from the civil list and for HRH the Duke of Edinburgh from his parliamentary annuity. Official travel by car for other members of the royal Family is paid for from private sources.
Smartcard Technology
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the public sector organisations that have access to personal data held within the Oyster card database. [62294]
Derek Twigg: Oyster is provided under a PFI contract managed by Transport for London (TFL). We understand from TFL that they comply fully with the Data Protection Act.
Information on individual travel is kept for a maximum of eight weeks and is only used for customer service purposes, to check charges for particular journeys or for refund inquiries.
Very few authorised individuals can access this data and there is no bulk disclosure of personal data to third parties for any commercial purposes or any public sector organisation.
Any public sector organisation can request information within their power and if information is disclosed, it is always done so in accordance with the Data Protection Act after a case-by-case evaluation.
Speed Cameras
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the measurement of speeds by speed cameras, with particular reference to motorcycles; and if he will make a statement. [62855]
Dr. Ladyman: Safety cameras used by the police to produce evidence for court have to be of a type approved by the Home Secretary. The UK type approval process is extremely rigorous and involves both operational and laboratory testing. Expert advice is provided by the Home Office Scientific Development Branch.
No specific test is prescribed that involves motorcycles, or any other particular sort of vehicle, because they are not considered to present any distinct problems. The operational tests do however involve measuring the speed of any passing traffic including motorcycles.
The Home Secretary only type approves those devices which successfully complete the whole process. The Home Office is satisfied that all devices currently in use merit their type-approved status and are accurate and reliable on motorcycles and any other vehicle.
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Station Safety
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will reconsider the proposed timetable for trialling new security technologies on mainland railway stations. [62858]
Derek Twigg: The passenger screening trial at Paddington station was completed to the timetable agreed with operators and other stakeholders. It finished on 8 February. Data collected during this trial is being assessed.
The other passenger screening trials, which the Secretary of State announced on 2 November 2005, are being planned. The timetable for these trials is being developed with the appropriate stakeholders including station operators and the British Transport police.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
BBC (3G)
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to encourage the BBC to provide content to 3G telecommunications networks; and if she will make a statement. [63989]
James Purnell: As the White Paper 'A public service for all: the BBC in the digital age made clear', the Government believes the BBC should have the flexibility to deliver content in new ways and on different platforms as technology develops. Decisions on how to pursue this will be for the BBC within the framework of the Charter and Agreement. In particular, where a proposal requires a new public service or a significant change to an existing service, the BBC Trust will be required to undertake a public value test. The test will involve a market impact assessment carried out by Ofcom.
Capita Group
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much business her Department has placed with (a) Capita Group plc and (b) its subsidiaries in each of the last five years; what the total value is of outstanding contracts placed with Capita Group plc and its subsidiaries by her Department; for which current tenders issued by her Department (i) Capita Group plc and (ii) its subsidiaries have been invited to bid; and whether (A) Capita Group plc and (B) its subsidiaries have seconded staff (1) temporarily and (2) on a longer-term basis to (X) her Department and (Y) its agencies. [61089]
Mr. Lammy: The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the value of contracts held by her Department with (a) Capita plc and (b) its subsidiaries was in the last three financial years. [61471]
Mr. Lammy: The details regarding DCMS are as follows;
(a) DCMS has had no contracts with Capita plc in the last three financial years.
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(b) DCMS has a contract for healthcare services with Capita Health Solutions following acquisition of BMI Health Services.
Departmental Leave (Stress)
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people have been on sick leave suffering from stress in her Department in each of the last three years; and what percentage of the total staff number this represents. [63553]
Mr. Lammy: The number of employees who have been on sick leave suffering from stress in each of the last three years is as follows:
| Number of employees | Percentage of total staff | |
|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 6 | 1 |
| 2004–05 | (277)— | (277)— |
| 2005–06 | (277)— | (277)— |
(277) In cases where there have been less than five people absent due to stress in any one year this information is suppressed on grounds of confidentiality
DCMS has a legal obligation to provide a safe working environment for all employees and guidance is available for staff and managers on how to manage stress effectively.
As part of our attendance, health and welfare programme for staff we have a range of policies in place to reduce work related stress. These include:
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