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30 Jan 2007 : Column 253W—continued


30 Jan 2007 : Column 254W

Mr. Tom Harris [holding answer 29 January 2007]: The Department for Transport does not hold this information centrally. Information about wheelchair access at railway stations is provided by the Association of Train Operating Companies on the national rail website (www.nationalrail.co.uk).

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last discussed access for wheelchair users to railway stations in Wales with the First Minister. [112339]

Mr. Tom Harris [holding answer 29 January 2007]: The Secretary of State meets regularly with Ministers from the devolved administrations and discusses a wide range of transport issues. It is not the normal practice of the Government to disclose specific details of these meetings.

Recruitment Agencies

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department paid to recruitment agencies for the hire of temporary staff in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [110478]

Gillian Merron: The Department was formed in May 2002. The following table represents how much the Department and its agencies paid to recruitment agencies for the hire of temporary staff in the following years.

The table does not include Vehicle and Operator Services Agency. I would refer the hon. Member to the annual report, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

£

2002-03

2,567,876

2003-04

6,494,095

2004-05

7,291,909

2005-06(1)

6,395,966

2006-07(1)

(2)1,171,459

(1) The Government Car and Despatch Agency have provided for years 2005-06 and 2006-07. Figures for earlier years are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. (2) To date

Road Accidents

Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many children were (a) killed and (b) injured while riding bicycles in the last five years. [112242]

Dr. Ladyman: The information requested has been published by the Department on its website in table 8.2 of ‘Transport Statistics Great Britain: 2006 edition’. This table can be found at the following web address:

A copy of this publication is also available in the Libraries of the House.


30 Jan 2007 : Column 255W

Road Network: Swindon

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on Swindon’s road network in each year since 1997. [112146]

Dr. Ladyman: The spending reported by the relevant local authority is as follows:

Total (£)

1997-98

4,827,000

1998-99

7,554,000

1999-2000

6,614,986

2000-01

9,803,469

2001-02

12,291,529

2002-03

11,767,550

2003-04

11,806,578

2004-05

11,332,181

2005-06

13,935,050

Total

89,932,342


Figures include all capital, maintenance, street lighting and structures. Some £8,550,000 of the total has been contributed through developer funding (section 106).

Highways Agency spending has not been included because it is not possible to disaggregate funds spent on cross-boundary projects into individual local authority areas.

Seat Belts: Exemptions

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what factors were taken into account when deciding to exempt taxi drivers and drivers of private hire vehicles from the requirement to wear a seat belt; and if he will make a statement. [112396]

Dr. Ladyman: The exemption has been available since 1983 because of the risks that these drivers face from those that may assault or seek to rob them. The exemption applies in respect of licensed taxis and private hire vehicles as follows:

Sheppey Crossing

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of how many drivers ignored closure signs at the Sheppey crossing and attempted to use the crossing in 2005-06. [111591]

Dr. Ladyman: No drivers have ignored closure signs and attempted to use the Sheppey crossing when it has been closed.

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that dot matrix signs are installed on both sides of the Sheppey crossing to warn motorists of high winds and dangerous driving conditions. [111592]


30 Jan 2007 : Column 256W

Dr. Ladyman: The Highways Agency is currently carrying out a study to ascertain if it is technically feasible to provide electronic variable message signs on the approaches to the Sheppey crossing bridge.

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when lighting will be put in place on both sides of the Sheppey crossing. [111594]

Dr. Ladyman: There are no proposals to provide lighting on the approaches to the Sheppey crossing bridge.

Speed Limits

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will devolve the approval of variable speed indicators to highway authorities. [112075]

Dr. Ladyman: Traffic authorities already have powers to introduce variable speed limit signs without consent from the Secretary of State providing those signs conform to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 and the relevant speed limit orders are in place. There are no plans to devolve responsibility to traffic authorities for signs which do not conform to these regulations.

Street Markets

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of possible measures to improve transport to and from local street markets to encourage sustainability. [111758]

Gillian Merron: Responsibility for local street markets is for local authorities to consider as part of their transport planning work. The Department has issued guidance to them to assist in preparing their second Local Transport Plans. This asks them to consider a range of measures that will reduce congestion, improve air quality, and increase the use of public transport and levels of walking and cycling.

Local authorities are required to include accessibility strategies within their Local Transport Plans, which should include measures for addressing accessibility problems found within their area, particularly with regards access to healthcare, education, employment and healthy affordable food.

Tankers: Double Hulls

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans all tankers entering UK waters to be required to have double hulls. [111653]

Dr. Ladyman: In accordance with a timetable set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), to which the UK is a party, all tankers of 5,000 gross tonnes (gt) and above will be required to have double hulls by the end of 2015. The very large majority of single hull tankers will have been phased-out by the end of 2010. Tankers which do not comply with the IMO’s double hull construction standards will be allowed to continue in service beyond 2010 only if they have additional protection such as double sides or double bottoms and are under 25 years old.


30 Jan 2007 : Column 257W

All tankers of 5,000 gt or more and carrying heavy grades of oil are already required to have double hulls if calling at a UK port. Small tankers of less than 5,000 gt and carrying heavy grades of oil will be prohibited from calling at UK ports from the anniversary of their delivery in 2008.

UK Ports

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will extend capacity at UK ports; and if he will make a statement. [112202]

Dr. Ladyman: The UK ports sector is market-led, and it is for the ports themselves to come forward with proposals for new capacity, where they expect demand to warrant it.

Our ports policy review is currently considering, among other matters, likely overall requirements for capacity at national level up to 2030.

Work and Pensions

Access to Work

Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the access to work scheme among small and medium-sized employers; [103306]

(2) what percentage of (a) small and (b) medium-sized employers are aware of the access to work scheme; and how many were aware of the scheme in each of the last five years; [103307]

(3) how much his Department has spent in each of the last five years on advertising and promotional work to raise awareness of the access to work scheme among small and medium-sized employers. [103308]

Mrs. McGuire: Information about access to work is already available to employers in leaflets designed especially for them. The leaflets are freely available from Jobcentre Plus offices. The information is also given on the Jobcentre Plus website and Direct Gov website.

Jobcentre Plus does not keep access to work records by type of employer. Disability employment advisers, who are often the gateway to access to work, are regularly in contact with employers locally and will raise awareness of access to work when appropriate.

There has been no advertising and promotional work specifically targeted at small and medium-sized employers in the last five years. However, Jobcentre Plus does market access to work as part of its general marketing strategy and has spent around £125,000 on marketing in disability magazines in 2005-06.

Accession Countries: Social Security

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the total cost of providing social security benefits to citizens from the A8 countries who (a) did and (b) did not register on the workers registration scheme in each month since May 2004. [113829]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available.


30 Jan 2007 : Column 258W

Benefit Claimants

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who were claiming incapacity benefit prior to November 2003 are now claiming jobseeker's allowance; and if he will make a statement. [102082]

Mrs. McGuire: The number of claimants who flowed off incapacity benefit between 1 June 1999 and 30 November 2003, and who were claiming jobseeker's allowance at 31 May 2006, is 103,970, which represents 3.2 per cent. of the total incapacity benefit terminations for the same period.

Benefit Disqualification

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many unemployed non-disabled (a) male and (b) female workers aged (i) 20 to 29, (ii) 30 to 39, (iii) 40 to 49 and (iv) 50 to 59 years had their benefit disqualified for (A) two weeks, (B) four weeks, (C) 13 weeks and (D) 26 weeks in the last 12 months; and what the equivalent figures were in 2001-02. [113255]

Mr. Jim Murphy: There are a range of circumstances in which sanctions can be imposed. Those sanctions can be of varying lengths. Information on fixed length sanctions are shown in the following tables.

Number of non-disabled individuals with JSA sanctions 1 August 2001 to 31 July 2002
Fixed length sanctions
2 weeks 4 weeks 26 weeks

Female

20-29

1,020

160

50

30-39

90

30

0

40-49

60

10

0

50-59

30

0

0

Male

20-29

5,990

960

500

30-39

1,280

210

70

40-49

600

90

40

50-59

140

20

0


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