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25 July 2006 : Column 1291W—continued
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passenger carrying vehicle delegated driving examiners had their licence removed by the Driving Standards Agency in each of the last six financial years. [87856]
Dr. Ladyman: There is no record of any passenger carrying vehicle delegated examiner being removed from the DSA register of delegated examiners in any of the previous six years.
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the pass rate was in each of the last three financial years for driving tests conducted by the Driving Standards Agency approved passenger carrying vehicle delegated driving examiners; and how many drivers passed in each year. [87857]
Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is in the following table:
| Pass rate (Percentage) | Passes | |
Departmental Correspondence
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2006, Official Report, columns 489-90W to the hon. Member for Edinburgh East, on departmental correspondence, what the cost was of processing returned letters where the addressee has moved away or died. [88930]
Gillian Merron: No information is available other than for the costs involved in the investigation and handling of undelivered vehicle Registration Certificates. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency estimate that the cost of handling all undelivered Registration Certificates is approximately £160,000 annually. This amount relates to all undelivered Certificates including those returned where the addressee has moved away or has died, which together account for approximately 13.5 per cent. of the total undelivered.
Departmental Data
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2006, Official Report, columns 490-1W, to the hon. Member for Edinburgh East, on departmental data, with which other (a) departments and (b) public sector organisations his Department shares data. [88934]
Gillian Merron: The Agencies listed in the answer given on 10 January 2006 share data with other (a) departments, and (b) public sector organisations, on the following basis:
Government Departments that have statutory powers to obtain information from DVLA include:
HM Revenue and Customs for tax related purposes
Child Support Agency to trace absent parents
Court Service for enforcement of fines etc
Environment Agency for investigating criminal offences
Criminal Case Review Commission for investigating criminal cases
Department of Work and Pensions for investigating benefit fraud
Other Department of Transport Agencies
What information is released and for what purpose is prescribed in the applicable legislation.
Public Sector organisations that receive information include:
Local Authorities investigating an offence or a decriminalised parking contravention
Trading Standards offices investigating vehicle related offences
Transport for London for the enforcement of congestion charging schemes
Local Authorities/Housing Associations dealing with abandoned vehicles
Regulations permitting the release of information to public sector organisations apply only to information held on the vehicle register. Information held on the driver register is not released.
Data are currently shared on a regular basis with DfT and all of its Agencies, including DVLA.
On a case-by-case basis, information has also been released to the following Government Departments and Public Sector bodies
HM Revenue and Customs
Department for Work and Persons
Child Support Agency
Traffic Commissioners
Passport Office
Immigration Service
Public Carriage Service
Environmental Health Department
NHS Fraud Investigators
Police
Local Authorities
The Agency does not share data with other Departments or Public Sector organisations as a matter of routine, although specific requests from law enforcement bodies are considered on a case-by-case basis.
The Agency does not share data with other Departments or Public Sector organisations.
Departmental Reorganisation Strategies
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2006, Official Report, column 562W, on Reorganisation Strategies for DfT, what principles of fairness and transparency are included in Reorganisation Strategies for DfT. [89135]
Gillian Merron: The Reorganisation Strategies for the Department’s Shared Service Programme are based on the principles that all staff will be treated in line with the Department’s equal opportunities and diversity policies and redundancy arrangements.
The Department will comply fully with any legislation which binds the Crown or which Ministers have undertaken to apply as if it were binding on the Crown (as set out in the ‘Introduction of the Civil Service Management Code’). The Department will also follow the Codes of Practices and Guidance produced by the Commissions for racial equality, disability rights and equal opportunities.
Departmental Staff (Sickness Absence)
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2006, Official Report, column 561W, on departmental staff, how many members of staff in his Department have had (a) two or more and (b) five or more periods of sickness absence in two or more of the years for which he has provided figures. [84043]
Gillian Merron: This level of detail is not readily available across the Department and the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2006, Official Report, column 561W, on departmental staff, to what he attributes the increase in the number of staff with (a) two and (b) five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days over the last three years. [84044]
Gillian Merron: The Department’s overall sick absence figures have gone up from 2003 to 2005. The different periods of sick absence asked in the earlier question (UIN 73114) fluctuates from one year to the next when looking at specific parts of the organisation. We attribute part of the increase in our figures to raising the profile of attendance management and more accurate recording of absence.
Disabled Staff
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was paid to his Department from the Access to Work scheme for adjustments for disabled staff in the last year for which figures are available; from what budget he plans to meet the costs of reasonable adjustments for disabled staff following withdrawal of Access to Work funding for central Government departments; and if he will make a statement. [89006]
Gillian Merron: The Department does not centrally collect data pertaining to funds paid for disabled staff under the Access to Work scheme, due to the application being made directly between the applicant and the Department for Works and Pensions.
The withdrawal of funding is likely to have some impact on existing budgets but as requirements for reasonable adjustments are considered on a case by case basis; if existing budgets cannot meet the demand, a case will be submitted for additional funding from other budgets.
East London Line
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his consent is required to allow Transport for London to enter into agreements with outside contractors to carry out station or train operating functions on the East London line. [87148]
Derek Twigg: The contractualisation of station and train operating functions on the East London line is a matter for Transport for London and the explicit agreement of the Secretary of State is not required.
First Capital Connect
Patrick Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that the Managing Director of First Capital Connect arranges to meet the hon. Member for Bedford in order to discuss matters relating to the hon. Member’s constituents. [88303]
Derek Twigg: The Secretary of State has no contractual locus to ensure that the Managing Director of First Capital Connect arranges to meet my hon. Friend. However my officials have communicated his wish to meet to the Managing Director of First Capital Connect.
Helicopters
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) regulations and (b) flight path restrictions apply to (i) single engine helicopters and (ii) twin engine helicopters when flying over the Greater London area. [88054]
Gillian Merron: The Rules of the Air Regulations and the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Specified Area) Regulations govern flight by helicopters over London. The former regulations specify the minimum height at which a helicopter may operate, the latter regulations prohibit single engine helicopters from the central area of London below such a height as would enable them to alight clear of that area in the event of an engine failure.
Helicopters are required to follow published routes over London subject to an air traffic control clearance. The routes, detailed in the UK Aeronautical Information Publication published by the CAA, are designed to provide maximum safety in respect of single engine helicopter traffic by avoiding built-up areas as much as possible. Twin engine helicopters, such as those operated by the emergency services, may be cleared to fly outside those routes according to their specific requirements and the Rules of the Air.
In addition, an aircraft flying in accordance with the terms of a police air operator's certificate (PAOC) is exempt from certain parts of the Rules of the Air Regulations, including the low flying rule, if the aircraft is flown in accordance with the Police Air Operations Manual (CAP 612), published by the Civil Aviation Authority (www.caa.co.uk). In London, the Metropolitan police and the Surrey police have been
granted PAOCs and may be permitted to hover above particular locations depending on the operational requirement.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents involving helicopters have occurred in London in each of the last five years. [87778]
Gillian Merron: In replying to the question the definition of London is taken as the area bounded by the M25 and the definitions of accident and incident are as stated in Statutory Instrument 1996 No 2798: The Civil Aviation (Investigation of Air Accidents and Incidents) Regulations 1996.
| Number of | ||
| Accidents | Incidents | |
| (1 )To date. | ||
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated since 1988 on noise pollution from helicopter use over (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) the Greater London area. [88057]
Gillian Merron: The Department has not commissioned any substantial new work on helicopter noise since that carried out for the London Heliport Study in 1992-94 and published in 1995.
Freight Trains
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many freight trains carrying (a) nuclear products and (b) hazardous material have travelled through (i) Brent and (ii) Brent, East in each year since 1997. [87715]
Dr. Ladyman: The Department does not hold or maintain such records. The transport of dangerous goods by rail, including radioactive material, is subject to strict regulation, based upon internationally agreed provisions, to minimise the risk to members of the public, workers and the environment.
Highways Expenditure
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much highway funding per capita was made available in the Yorkshire and Humber Region in 2005-06. [88594]
Gillian Merron: For 2005-06, the Department made a capital allocation of £76.588 million to local highway authorities in the Yorkshire and the Humber Region, as part of the Local Transport Plan settlement. It is for the local highway authorities to determine how their capital highway maintenance allocations are spent, in line with their local transport plan and their priorities.
In addition, the Highways Agency provided capital funding of £9.158 million for trunk roads and motorways in their area 12, which is their equivalent, but not an exact geographical area. Based on a Yorkshire and Humber region population of 4,964,833 (2001 Census), this represents an estimated capital funding of £17.27 per person.
Local authorities can also allocate other sources of Government support for capital funding to highways. Besides this, street lighting contracts in Leeds and Wakefield will benefit from £110.8 million of PFI credits.
The Revenue Support Grant (RSG) from the Department for Communities and Local Government provides revenue funding for highway maintenance. However, RSG is unhypothecated and may be applied by local authorities to any services.
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