| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
12 Oct 2006 : Column 819W—continued
Tourism
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her estimate is of the percentage growth per annum required to reach the £100 billion target value for the tourism industry outlined in the Tomorrow’s Tourism Today strategy document, July 2000. [91475]
Mr. Woodward: The total turnover of the UK’s tourism industry was £74.2 billion in 2003. To meet the £100 billion turnover target set out in Tomorrow’s Tourism Today in 2004, the industry’s turnover would need to increase on average by £3.7 billion a year until 2010 (annual growth of between 4 per cent. and 5 per cent.).
As part of the wider consultation document, Welcome: Legacy, my Department is presently seeking views on the need for new or additional targets which would more closely reflect the impact of the 2012 London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games for tourism across the UK. The consultation ends on 17 November.
Tourist Accommodation (Bournemouth)
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many hotels and bed and breakfasts are registered in Bournemouth; and how many there were in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003. [92311]
Mr. Woodward: Statistics on hotels and ‘bed and breakfast’ guesthouses in Bournemouth are not held centrally. However, Bournemouth borough council has provided the following estimates:
| Establishments | Bed spaces | |
Defence
Afghanistan
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps ISAF forces are taking to support Afghan authorities in ensuring that schools can operate freely in all areas of the country. [92130]
Mr. Ingram: The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is supporting the Afghan Government as it extends its authority across the entire country, facilitating development and reconstruction, and improving security. ISAF is helping to provide the environment for the Afghan Government to implement its key education programmes. These programmes aim to expand access to primary and secondary education, increase enrolment and retention rates, and strengthen the curriculum and quality of teachers.
Military Casualties
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers have been treated for (a) gunshot and (b) shrapnel wounds received in (i) Afghanistan and (ii) Iraq since 2001. [91261]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 18 September 2006]: The best casualty figures for Iraq and Afghanistan that are currently centrally available are published on the following pages of the MOD website:
www.mod.uk/Defencelnternet/FactSheets/OperationsFactsheets/OperationsInlraqBritishCasualties.htm (for Iraq)
www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/OperationsFactsheets/OperationsInA
fghanistanBritishCasualties.htm (for Afghanistan)
Comprehensive figures on the number of gunshot and shrapnel wounds could only be compiled by examining the medical records of individual patients. Medical records can only be viewed for non-clinical reasons with the express consent of the individual concerned, to protect patient confidentiality. Therefore, the information exists but is not held centrally. Work is under way to improve our casualty reporting and once this is complete the website will be updated accordingly.
Sudan
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what planning and operational work (a) has commenced and (b) is proceeding on establishing a United Nations peacekeeping force in Darfur. [92138]
Mr. Ingram: The United Nations (UN) Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), having completed a technical assessment mission earlier this year, is planning both for a UN mission and for UN support to the current African Union mission in Darfur. Subject to Sudanese Government consent, we expect the latter to be operational first. One UK military officer has been deployed to UN DPKO in New York, to help with planning.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provision he is willing to contribute to UN peacekeeping force deployed to Darfur. [92139]
Mr. Ingram: Currently, one UK military officer is deployed to the United Nations (UN) Department of Peace Keeping Operations (DPKO), in New York, to help develop UN plans for Darfur. Depending on the make-up of the eventual force, British peace support training teams may be able to assist African forces in their pre-deployment training, as has been provided to Rwandan and Nigerian contingents of the present AU Mission in Sudan.
Presently, there are no plans to deploy any further UK military personnel to Darfur.
Trident
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department has carried out to verify the integrity of software created and tested in the US for the UK shore-based target planning system for Trident. [91342]
Mr. Ingram: The UK shore-based target planning system for Trident is validated through a range of UK and US research programmes. UK experts then independently verify the system against requirements before issuing it to Royal Navy submarines.
Unidentified Flying Objects
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reported unidentified flying object sightings his Department (a) received and (b) investigated in the last five years. [92203]
Derek Twigg: Since January 2001 the Ministry of Defence has received 714 reports of unidentified flying objects. Reports are analysed solely to consider whether there is any reason to believe that UK airspace has been compromised by the reported activity. Of the 714 reports received, only 12 were deemed to be worthy of further consideration, and none of these were considered to demonstrate any threat to the integrity of the UK Air Defence Region.
Deputy Prime Minister
Departmental Staff (Bicycles)
Hywel Williams: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what tax efficient schemes for the purchase of bicycles his office makes available to its employees; how many and what percentage of his office’s staff purchased bicycles through such schemes in 2005-06; whether the schemes are available through a range of suppliers; and whether arrangements are made to enable staff with disabilities to purchase adapted bicycles from a specialist supplier. [90060]
The Deputy Prime Minister:
The Department supports staff cycling to work by providing interest-free salary advances towards the purchase of a bicycle for travel between home and office. It is open to the
member of staff to purchase the bicycle, plus accessories, from a supplier of their choice. Cycle storage space is provided on site.
Duchy of Lancaster
Ombudsman's Reports
Derek Wyatt: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many Parliamentary Ombudsman's reports were rejected by Government departments between (a) 1979 and 1997 and (b) 1997 and 2006. [93135]
Hilary Armstrong: Individual Departments are responsible for taking forward the Parliamentary Ombudsman's recommendations. In response to parliamentary questions from my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Gordon Prentice) earlier this year, Departments have provided details on the occasions since 1997 where they have not accepted the Parliamentary Ombudsman's recommendations. This information is available in the Library for the reference of Members.
For information relating to the Cabinet Office for the period 1997 to 2006, I refer you to my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Gordon Prentice) on 12 June 2006, Official Report, column 961W. Information prior to 1997 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Social Exclusion
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps she has taken, in the context of ‘Reaching Out: An Action Plan on Social Exclusion’, to monitor and evaluate research undertaken on (a) early years, (b) children and teenagers and (c) adults living chaotic lives; and if she will list the research evaluated in each case. [93236]
Hilary Armstrong: The Social Exclusion Task Force looked at research from the UK and abroad during the course of the project. Detailed references can be found in ‘Reaching Out: An Action Plan for Social Exclusion’, copies of which have been placed in the Library for the reference of Members.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate she has made of the cost of implementing the measures contained in ‘Reaching Out: An Action Plan on Social Exclusion’; and what resources (a) have been allocated to and (b) are required by each relevant agency for that purpose. [93237]
Hilary Armstrong: All of the action points contained in ‘Reaching Out: An Action Plan on Social Exclusion’ were agreed between Government Departments before the plan was published, including agreement, where appropriate, on financing the action points from within existing resources.
The action plan also commits the Government to promoting increased transparency of the ‘downstream’
costs of social exclusion: earlier identification and incentives for better practice could—in the longer term—result in savings both for the state and for the individual.
Education and Skills
Craft Education
13. Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the provision of craft education in school and colleges. [92872]
Phil Hope: In the design and technology curriculum, pupils combine craft skills with modern technologies to design and make products. Through 14-19 reform, we are ensuring that every young person can access a practical education. This includes new employer-led diplomas available from 2008 that will be a high-quality blend of general education and applied learning.
Drugs Tests
14. Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in England have programmes in place to test pupils for drugs. [92873]
Jim Knight: Schools do not have to inform the Department but we know of three maintained schools that have programmes in place to test pupils for drugs. We are also working with Kent local authority to carry out an evaluation of drug testing in schools. We expect more schools to take part in this evaluation.
School Exclusions
15. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information he collects on trends in school exclusions. [92874]
Jim Knight: We collect data on school exclusions that enable us to analyse the number of permanent and fixed-period exclusions and identify trends, taking into account factors such as age and gender, ethnic group and special educational needs. In 2004-05 there were just 9,440 permanent exclusions, which represents just over a 20 per cent. decrease from the peak of 12,668 permanent exclusions in 1997.
Truancy
16. Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils missed school due to unauthorised absence on at least one occasion in the last year for which figures are available. [92875]
Jim Knight: Figures for 2005-06, published on 21 September, showed that in England the unauthorised absence rate was 0.79 per cent. Some 1.4 million pupils were recorded as having missed at least one half day school session without permission.
Chris Huhne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 24 July 2006, Official Report, column 852W, on truancy, how
many pupils there were in maintained mainstream secondary schools in each year since 1997-98 in (a) rural and (b) non-rural areas; what definition of rurality his Department uses; and if he will make a statement. [91237]
Jim Knight [holding answer 18 September 2006]: The pupil numbers requested are given in the following table.
| Number of pupils in maintained mainstream secondary schools( 1) in England | |||
| Rural areas | Urban areas | Total | |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. Excludes city technology colleges. (2) Provisional. | |||
The urban and rural classifications used in this table are based on those drawn up in 2004 by the Countryside Agency, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Office for National Statistics and the Welsh Assembly Government. The classification is based on population densities across the whole spectrum of ‘settlements’, or built-up areas, in England and Wales. Urban areas are defined as settlements with a population of 10,000 or more. Census output areas are described as urban or rural depending on whether the majority of the population falls inside a settlement of population 10,000 or more.
Secondly, the classification enables areas to be defined as predominantly urban or predominantly town and fringe, predominantly village or predominantly dispersed (which includes hamlets and isolated dwellings). The town and fringe, village, hamlet and isolated dwelling classifications are taken as being rural.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |