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25 Oct 2006 : Column 1872W—continued
Nottingham NET Tram System
Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the change in estimated costs for lines two and three has been of the Nottingham NET tram system since his Department accepted the final submission. [94198]
Mr. Tom Harris: We received the final information from the promoters in response to our questions in spring this year. At that time, the promoters estimated that the scheme would require central Government funding of £422 million PFI credits, and a local contribution of £140.6 million (in present value).
Today we approved programme entry for the NET extensions, with central Government funding of £437 million PFI credits, on the basis of the promoter’s latest estimates. The latest estimate for the required local contribution is £141.0 million (in present value).
Road Safety
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on road safety campaigns in (a) Suffolk, (b) Bedfordshire, (c) Cambridgeshire, (d) Essex, (e) Hertfordshire and (f) Norfolk in each year since 1997. [95543]
Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is not available. It is for each local authority to determine its spend on road safety campaigns.
Rugby Western Relief Road
Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what delegated legislation will be necessary for the construction of the Rugby Western Relief Road. [96300]
Gillian Merron: To enable Warwickshire county council to proceed with the construction of the Rugby Western Relief Road, the council will require confirmation by the Secretary of State for Transport of two orders: A Side Roads Order, to effect alterations to highways and private accesses, and a Compulsory Purchase Order to acquire the necessary lands. The council will also require planning permission.
Train Services (London to Brighton)
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the future of services to London Victoria from Brighton station. [95775]
Mr. Tom Harris: No significant changes to rail services from Brighton to London Victoria are foreseen.
Electoral Commission Committee
Comptroller and Auditor General Report
Mr. Bone: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission whether the Speaker’s Committee has received the Comptroller and Auditor General’s statutory value for money report on the Electoral Commission for 2004-05. [97482]
Peter Viggers: Yes. The Speaker’s Committee considered this report, entitled “Is the Public Aware of Democracy?”, at its meeting on 18 July 2006. The report examines the Electoral Commission’s expenditure in 2004-05 in pursuance of its statutory duty under section 13 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 to promote public awareness of electoral and democratic systems. The Comptroller and Auditor General had previously reported on the Commission’s expenditure in this area in his 2002-03 report, and this report includes a summary of the progress made by the Electoral Commission in implementing recommendations he made then.
The Committee is grateful to the Comptroller and Auditor General for this further report on an area to which the Electoral Commission devotes each year a significant proportion of its overall financial resources. The Committee has published it as an appendix to its first report 2006 and, as that report makes clear, will be following up the conclusions and recommendations with the Electoral Commission. The Committee’s report was laid before the House on 25 July 2006 as House of Commons paper number 1581. Copies have been placed in the Library and are now available in the Vote Office.
Electoral Commissioners
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission whether the Speaker’s Committee has considered the implications of the statutory disqualifications from appointment as an Electoral Commissioner for the effectiveness with which the Commission discharges its functions. [97483]
Peter Viggers: The effect of section 3(4) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 is to disqualify from appointment as an Electoral Commissioner a wide range of people who have been actively involved with political parties, or held elective office, over the preceding 10 years. At its meeting on 3 May 2006, the Speaker’s Committee agreed to write to the Lord Chancellor raising the issue of whether these restrictions reduced the effectiveness of the Electoral Commission in discharging its functions, and to seek to place the exchange of correspondence in the public domain.
I have now placed in the Library copies of Mr. Speaker’s letter to the Lord Chancellor on this matter, and the Lord Chancellor’s reply. In view of the relevance of the exchange to the current inquiry of the Committee on Standards in Public Life into the Electoral Commission, I am also arranging for it to be sent copies, as I undertook to do when I gave evidence to that Committee on 7 September.
Scotland
Complaints
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many formal complaints his Department has received in each year since 1999. [96472]
David Cairns: Information is not available prior to 1 April 2001; since that date, the Scotland Office has received two complaints, one in 2003-04 and one in 2005-06.
Comprehensive Spending Review
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Treasury on the comprehensive spending review 2007; and if he will make a statement. [96467]
David Cairns: My right hon. Friend has regular discussions with Treasury colleagues on a range of matters.
Departmental Expenditure
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent on organising and hosting conferences in the last 12 months. [93095]
David Cairns: The Scotland Office has incurred no expenditure organising and hosting conferences in the last 12 months.
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on taxis in the last 12 months. [93108]
David Cairns: In 2005-06, the Scotland Office spent £8,983 on taxis.
Departmental Staff
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many press officers are employed by his Department; and how many were employed in each year between 1999 and 2005. [96466]
David Cairns: At present, the Scotland Office has one press officer; figures for previous years are published in the Office’s annual reports.
Departmental Travel
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent by his Department on (a) chartering aircraft and (b) non-scheduled air travel in each of the last five years. [96210]
Guardian's Allowance
Mr. Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people in each constituency in Scotland receive the guardian’s allowance. [95753]
David Cairns: The information requested is not available by constituency. The average number of people receiving the guardian’s allowance in the UK is 2,800.
Muslim Council of Britain
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much (a) financial support and (b) support in kind his Department and its agencies have given to the Muslim Council of Britain in each year since 1997. [96283]
David Cairns: The Scotland Office was established in July 1999. Since that date it has incurred no expenditure in cash or in kind in support of the Muslim Council of Britain.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent by his Department on private finance initiative projects postponed pending further consideration or stopped in the last 12 months. [96802]
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Animal Exports
Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) live calves and (b) live sheep have been exported for (i) slaughter and (ii) further fattening since 1 May, broken down by country of destination. [95755]
Mr. Bradshaw: As at 11 October, the number of calves exported from the UK to mainland Europe for fattening, prior to slaughter this year, by country, are in the following table:
| Country | Estimated number of Calves |
These figures have been taken from the Cattle Tracing System.
Equivalent figures for sheep are not available. However, information from the European Union-wide Trade Control and Expert System, TRACES, (based on export health certification) indicates that sheep exports to mainland Europe from 1 May to 30 September were:
| Country | Estimated Number of Sheep |
These figures represent the number of sheep on applications for export health certificates. Not all these sheep will have been subsequently exported. The figures therefore represent a maximum. TRACES does not distinguish between the purpose of exports.
Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he takes to establish whether live calves exported to other European Union Member States are unloaded after 18 hours of travel and given at least 24 hours rest, food and liquid as required by Council Directive 91/628/EEC concerning the protection of animals during transport; and if he will make a statement. [95756]
Mr. Bradshaw: Responsibility for applying Council Directive 91/628/EEC in other member states rests with the relevant competent authority in those countries. However, state veterinary service staff at Animal Health Divisional Offices check route plans when they are returned by transporters. Transporters are required to record details of the actual journey undertaken and to explain any variations from the journey planned.
Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) live calves and (b) live sheep destined for export have been rejected prior to export since May 2006 at (i) the place of origin and (ii) the port; and if he will make a statement. [95757]
Mr. Bradshaw: This information is no longer collected. Following increased levels of exports, the use made of this data could no longer justify the resources required to collect it.
Animal Production Businesses
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many animal production businesses in England have more than 250 employees. [93488]
Barry Gardiner: Data from the June Agricultural Survey is not available at business level but only by individual holding. The number of holdings in England at June 2005, where livestock production is the predominant activity and employees number greater than 250, are less than five. In order to protect the confidentiality of survey respondents, as required under the Agricultural Statistics Act, it is not possible to reveal the exact numbers when these are very small.
Animal Welfare Bill
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many working parties he has set up to discuss aspects of regulations associated with progress of the Animal Welfare Bill; and who has been invited to sit on each working party. [96074]
Mr. Bradshaw: Since 2004, the Department has set up 13 working groups on the Animal Welfare Bill and accompanying regulations. Membership has consisted of the main animal welfare organisations, the relevant industry and hobby groups, local authorities and DEFRA officials. Some groups have also included representatives from other Government departments, the Devolved Administrations, the police and Equity.
Bovine Tuberculosis
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cattle found to have TB lesions after slaughter in abattoirs had (a) passed and (b) failed the TB skin test in each year since 1997. [95951]
Mr. Bradshaw: The following table gives the (i) number of TB skin test reactors confirmed by the identification of visible lesions at post-mortem examination and/or by laboratory analysis, (ii) the number of non-TB skin test reactor animals identified as potentially infected by TB at routine slaughter, i.e. ‘slaughterhouse cases’, and (iii) the number of slaughterhouse cases where bovine TB was confirmed by laboratory culture. All figures are for Great Britain.
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