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19 Dec 2006 : Column 1768W—continued
Travel Concession Scheme
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many claims have been made against each authority in respect of reimbursement claims under the Travel Concession Scheme; and if he will make a statement. [109328]
Gillian Merron: 60 appeals were lodged with the Secretary of State against concessionary travel schemes introduced on 1 April 2006. A further two appeals were lodged in October regarding modifications to the Oxford city council scheme. The following table below shows the current position.
| Appeals against 2006-07 concessionary fares schemes | ||||
| Scheme | Decided | Pending | Deferred | Withdrawn |
The determinations of the appeals are notified to the applicant bus operator and the travel concession authority as they are made. It is a matter for each party to decide whether to publicise the outcome more widely.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people in Coventry claimed under the Travel Concession Scheme in the last 12 months. [110014]
Gillian Merron: This information is not held centrally, but can be obtained from the relevant local authority.
UK Airports
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the expected number of (a) air passengers, (b) aircraft movements and (c) tonnes of freight at UK airports in (i) 2040 and (ii) 2050. [110288]
Gillian Merron:
Air passengers and air transport movements were modelled to 2030 so as to help in the development of the policies set out in the Air Transport White Paper. For the purposes of forecasting emissions to 2050 assumptions were made about later
passenger growth. These are shown in paragraph 3.55 of “Aviation and Global Warming”—this can be found at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_aviation/documents/page/dft_aviation_031850.pdf
No forecasts of freight tonnage have been made.
Scotland
Act of Union
David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will discuss with the Royal Mail issuing a stamp commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Act of Union. [108930]
David Cairns: The Royal Mail does not intend to issue stamps specifically commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Act of Union. However, in conjunction with the Royal Mint, a special coin cover will be issued to mark the anniversary. The coin cover will include Union Flag stamps from the Royal Mail’s customised stamp portfolio, postmarks and the Royal Mint commemorative two-pound coin.
Bonus Payments
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was paid in bonuses to civil servants in his Department each year since 2001-02; and how many civil servants received bonuses in each year. [101036]
David Cairns: Staff in the Scotland Office are seconded from the Scottish Executive and the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) which each have bonus schemes, part of which relate to annual performance. The Scotland Office does not hold information on bonus payments under the annual performance elements. Under each scheme, the Office may also directly authorise bonus payments for the achievement of particular objectives and the following table shows the number and cost of such non-pensionable bonuses awarded.
| Payment year | Total number of bonuses | Total cost of bonuses (£) |
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what criteria a civil servant in his Department must fulfil (a) to be considered for a bonus on top of their regular salary and (b) to be awarded a bonus. [101037]
David Cairns: All the staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) and the Office applies the relevant Special Bonus Scheme or Reward and Recognition Scheme of those Departments to each member of staff.
These schemes provide for a bonus to be paid in the event of exceptional performance over the year as identified in an officer’s annual report, as part of the annual pay remuneration arrangements. The schemes also provide for special bonuses to be awarded for outstanding performance in delivering a particular task or objective; any proposal to pay a special bonus requires the prior approval of the Head of Office.
The bonus arrangements for the two senior civil service posts in the Scotland Office are handled by the appropriate parent Department as part of the performance appraisal system.
Departmental Energy Policy
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to ensure that his Department becomes carbon neutral. [105704]
David Cairns: New sustainable operations targets for the Government Estate were announced on 12 June 2006 by the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, These targets included a commitment for a carbon neutral central Government Office Estate by 2012.
The Scotland Office subscribes to the principles of environmental performance adopted by the Department for Constitutional Affairs and adheres to the same cross-Government targets.
Departmental Statistics
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on statistics relating to the work of his Department in each of the last five years. [107277]
David Cairns: There is no definition of the term “statistics relating to the work of the Department” and no centrally held information on either the volume or costs of statistics published each year on this basis.
Estimates for the annual costs of National Statistics are contained in the relevant National Statistics Annual Report and Accounts, which is available on the National Statistics website at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=1051. Copies are also available in the Library for the reference of Members.
The last year these were produced was 2004-05.
Dover House
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what hospitality events were held at Dover House pursuant to paragraph 3.12 of the annual report of the Advocate-General. [109555]
David Cairns: The 16 events mentioned in the annual report were as follows:
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