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20 Jun 2007 : Column 1801W—continued
1997: Table 1.20
1998: 2003 Table 1.19
2004: 2006 Table 7.13
Roads: Noise
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria are used by the Highways Agency in deciding whether to utilise whisper quiet road surface technology on trunk roads as part of a planned maintenance programme; and if he will make a statement. [144102]
Dr. Ladyman: It is current Highways Agency policy to use quieter surfacing materials during all planned maintenance works on the network and when constructing new roads.
Skips
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discretion local authorities have in imposing the provisions of the Highways Act 1980; and whether he plans to make the conditions imposed on skips placed on highways the national standard. [143336]
Gillian Merron: There is no restriction on the discretion used by local authorities when imposing the provisions of the Highways Act 1980 on skips.
There are no powers under the Highways Act to set a national standard for the conditions imposed on skips placed on the highway.
South East Manchester Relief Road
Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will consider the option of building the South East Manchester Relief Road as a toll road; and if he will make a statement [144782]
Gillian Merron: We are committed to working in collaboration with Stockport, Manchester and Cheshire local authorities on considering all possible options for securing funding, including phasing of works, for the South East Manchester Relief Road. Officials will take stock of all the available options following the completion of the current Comprehensive Spending Review.
Speed Limits: Cameras
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) reviewed on the effectiveness of speed cameras in 20 mph zones. [144105]
Dr. Ladyman:
The Department has not commissioned or reviewed any research into the effectiveness of speed cameras for 20 mph zones. The Department considers that, and have advised local
authorities that, 20 mph zones should be self enforcing through proven traffic calming measures.
West Coast Main Line
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the suitability of the Cumbrian section of the West Coast Main Line to accommodate Virgin high speed trains. [144376]
Mr. Tom Harris: The West Coast Main Line between London and Glasgow, including the Cumbrian section, has been made suitable for the Virgin Pendolino high speed trains that currently operate along the route. Network Rail is responsible for the renewal, upgrade and maintenance of the rail infrastructure along the entire route.
Wales
Council Tax: Valuation
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2007, Official Report, column 4W, on council tax: valuation, what the cost has been of the council tax revaluation since 31 March 2005. [143504]
Mr. Hain: Since publication of the compiled council tax lists on 1 April 2005, no further costs have been incurred in relation to the revaluation process.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2007, Official Report, column 1115W, on council tax revaluation, how many formal appeals have been made to the Valuation Tribunal Service in relation to the council tax revaluation. [143653]
Mr. Hain: Details are published on the Valuation Office Agency’s website (www.voa.gov.uk).
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2007, Official Report, column 4W, on council tax: valuation, what the net yield was in council tax in Wales in each year from 2004-05. [143687]
Mr. Hain: The information requested is as follows:
| £ | |
Severn Barrage
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales who will be responsible for the decision on whether to go ahead with a Severn tidal barrage; and whether this project would be subject to decision by the proposed planning infrastructure commission. [142446]
Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
There is no specific proposal at present to build a Severn Barrage. The Sustainable Development Commission is however producing a report, with financial support from various parties including my Department, looking at various options for harnessing the potential tidal energy resource that exists around the UK, including within the Severn estuary. The SDC will, of course, be looking at the Severn Barrage proposal in detail as part of their report.
It is too early to speculate in detail about what might happen after the SDC have issued their report, expected in the autumn, or what role the Infrastructure Planning Commission might have. Clearly it would be for the private sector rather than the Government to lead in developing the concept into a specific proposal.
House of Commons Commission
ICT
Susan Kramer: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission (1) how many (a) desktop computers and (b) laptops provided by the House authorities are in use in the House of Commons part of the Parliamentary Estate; and what the estimated daily energy usage is of these computers; [143759]
(2) how many (a) servers, (b) printers and (c) computer display screens are in use in the House of Commons part of the Parliamentary Estate; and what the estimated daily energy usage is of these devices. [143760]
Nick Harvey: Records show that there are 250 servers in use within the House of Commons. Estimated energy consumption for the servers is 75k per day, based on an average server. There are approximately 1,300 printers and approximately 2,670 desktop computers in use in the House of Commons, most of which will have an attached display screen. It is not possible to provide a reliable estimate of the energy consumption for printers and computer display screens due to their varying use.
Northern Ireland
Orange Halls
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many attacks were made upon Orange halls in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of repairing the damage. [142641]
Paul Goggins: Attacks on Orange halls are included as criminal damage offences. The following table provides details of the number of offences recorded and the approximate value of property damaged.
| Criminal damage( 1) offences recorded where the location is an Orange h all | ||
| Calendar year | Number of crimes | Value of property damaged( 2)( ) (£) |
| (1) Criminal damage includes criminal damage, malicious damage and arson offences. (2) These values are an approximation of the damage caused. Please note that some crimes did not have a value recorded, thus caution should be used when drawing conclusions from this data. Note: Please note that this information is provisional and may be subject to revision. Source: Central Statistics Unit, PSNI | ||
Electoral Registration
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of individual electoral registration in reducing the scope for fraud in Northern Ireland. [141710]
Maria Eagle: The Electoral Commission commented on individual registration and other administrative matters to do with the March Assembly election in its statutory report which has just been published. The report comments that their findings
‘reflect an increasing understanding of the electoral process in Northern Ireland, with individual registration and the requirement for photographic identification resulting in elections that are now largely free from allegations of electoral fraud’.
The detail of the report can be accessed online at www.electoralcommission.org.uk and I have placed a copy of it in the Library.
Juvenile Justice Centre
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many chaplains of each religious affiliation are linked to the Juvenile Justice Centre; and how many visits chaplains made to the centre in each of the last 12 months. [143295]
Maria Eagle: The information requested is as follows:
| Number of chaplains | Number of visits | |
| (1) Church of Ireland chaplaincy post is currently vacant. | ||
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of the Juvenile Justice Centre staff were (a) disciplined, (b) suspended and (c) dismissed for supplying drugs or other prohibited items to those detained at the centre in each of the last five years. [143296]
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many healthcare workers were employed at the Juvenile Justice Centre in each of the last six years, broken down by grade. [143297]
Maria Eagle: The information requested is as follows:-
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| (1) One nurse post is currently vacant. | ||||||
The nurses and psychologist are employed directly by the Youth Justice Agency. The attending medical doctor and psychiatrist are contracted-in services.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions a passive drugs dog has been used in drug searches at the Juvenile Justice Centre in the last 12 months. [143298]
Maria Eagle: None. The Juvenile Justice Centre does not have a passive drugs dog.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many drug searches were carried out at the Juvenile Justice Centre in the last 12 months; and what the result was of each search. [143299]
Maria Eagle: Regular searches are undertaken at the Juvenile Justice Centre for all types of contraband including drugs. Specific drugs detection equipment has been used on occasions in the last 12 months when drugs misuse has been suspected. Results were negative on both occasions.
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