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23 July 2007 : Column 675W—continued
Railways: Vandalism
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many (a) incidents of and (b) prosecutions there were for (i) vandalism, (ii) informed vandalism and (iii) trespass on rail lines in each year since 2001-02; [151863]
(2) how many incidences of arson on the railways there were in each year since 2000, broken down by (a) train operating company and (b) line. [151865]
Mr. Tom Harris: This information is not held by the Department for Transport but by the British Transport Police who can be contacted at: British Transport Police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, E-mail:
general.enquiries@btp.pnn.police.uk.
Roads: Accidents
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in what percentage of road accidents resulting in the death or serious injury in each of the last five years vehicle defects were found to be a contributory factor. [152437]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The proportion of reported personal injury road accidents which had “vehicle defects” as a contributory factor was 2.6 per cent. in 2005 and 2.3 per cent in 2006.
2005 is the earliest year for which this information is available.
Severn Barrage
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make an assessment of the potential of the proposed Severn Barrage to provide a new rail link from South Wales to London and the South East; and if she will make a statement. [151920]
Mr. Tom Harris: This would be primarily a matter for the promoters of the proposed Severn Barrage to consider, but the Department would be pleased to co-operate in any such assessment.
Transport: Private Finance Initiatives
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many transport projects were funded by private finance initiatives in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local authority. [151463]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The HM Treasury website provides updated details (on a six monthly basis) of awarded PFI projects overseen by the Department for Transport. The project details include the awarding authority, date of financial close, total capital value and the annual unitary charge payment. This information is available at:
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people are employed by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency. [151468]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) publishes the average number of staff employed (full-time equivalent) in its annual report and accounts. This is available online at www.vosa.gov.uk and in the House of Commons Library, Business and Transport Section.
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects the study by Deloitte and Touche into the possible outsourcing of elements of the work of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency to be presented to the Department for Transport Board. [152441]
Jim Fitzpatrick: An update on progress on the outsourcing feasibility study will be presented to the DfT Board in the autumn.
Vehicle and Operators Services Agency: Property
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her estimate is of the value of the land and buildings used by the Vehicle and Operators Services Agency for its annual HGV and PSV inspections. [151258]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The net book value for existing use of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) estate used for testing HGV and PSV vehicles was £78.3 million as at end March 2007.
Defence
Aircraft Carriers: Procurement
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to be able to make an announcement on the order for the Future Aircraft Carriers; and what the reason is for the time taken to do so. [149880]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 18 July 2007]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 May 2007, Official Report, column 1181W, to the hon. Member for Brecon and Radnorshire (Mr. Williams).
Armed Forces: Council Tax
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 30 April 2007, Official Report, column 1456W to the hon. Member for the Forest of Dean, on the armed forces: council tax, what conclusion he has reached on support for the council tax costs in England of service personnel serving overseas; and if he will make a statement. [149659]
Derek Twigg: Work is ongoing to find a resolution to this issue and an announcement will be made in due course.
Armed Forces: Deployment
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military personnel are (a) deployed and (b) stationed in each country outside the UK. [150020]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The approximate number of UK service personnel deployed by operation and location as at 9 July 2007 is shown in the following table:
| Operation | Number |
| (1 )Other UN locations have fewer than 10 personnel per country and include Georgia, Nepal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia. Note: Due to rounding methods used, totals may not always equal the sum of the parts. | |
The strength of UK regular forces posted outside the UK is available in Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 6—Global Location of UK Regular Forces. The most recent publication show the numbers of service personnel at 1 October 2006.
Copies of TSP 6 are available in the Library of the House and are also available at:
Due to the introduction of a new joint personnel administration system (JPA), TSP6 RAF location data for 1 April 2006 are provisional and subject to review, and after 1 April 2006 are not currently available.
The Defence Analytical Services Agency is currently validating JPA RAF location data and expect to publish provisional RAF figures for 1 July 2006 and 1 October 2006 by the end of July 2007.
Armed Forces: Homosexuality
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the uniformed participation of members of the armed forces in Gay Pride events. [151943]
Derek Twigg: In accordance with Queen’s Regulations, decisions on whether armed forces personnel can attend Gay Pride or any other public events are a matter for the chain of command.
Armed Forces: Housing
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel are eligible for the key worker discount; and how many used the discount in each of the last five years. [148346]
Derek Twigg: All armed forces personnel stationed in London, the East and South East of England, with a household income of less than £60,000, are eligible to be considered for the key worker living (KWL) programme. The scheme was only extended to include Service personnel in September 2006, and the first two beneficiaries have moved into their new homes. Other applicants are at various stages in the process.
Armed Forces: Key Worker Living Scheme
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel are eligible for the key worker discount in Tamworth constituency; and how many have used the discount in the last five years. [150300]
Derek Twigg: None. Only armed forces personnel stationed in London, the East and South East of England with a household income of less than £60,000, are currently eligible to be considered for the Key Worker Living programme. That scheme was extended to include service personnel in September 2006, and the scope for extending similar arrangements to other areas of Great Britain, where there are major military establishments, is being explored with the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Armed Forces: Smoking
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the ban on smoking in enclosed public places applies to military vehicles. [151170]
Derek Twigg: The ban on smoking in enclosed public places applies to all military vehicles and has been in place for sometime.
Army Board: Alcoholic Drinks
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on alcohol for entertainment at the homes of the non-ministerial members of the Army Board in the last year, broken down by (a) event and (b) type of alcohol. [138518]
Derek Twigg: The entertainment expenses claimed by non-ministerial members of the Army Board, as presented on 17 April 2007, Official Report, column 535W, and 19 June 2007, Official Report, column 1761W, include the costs of alcohol for the official functions in question.
Neither the Assistant Chief of the General Staff nor 2nd Permanent Under-Secretary incurred any expenditure on alcohol for official entertainment.
The Chief of the General Staff and his immediate predecessor claimed costs of approximately £521.33 for alcohol expenses for official entertainment in 2006, broken down as follows:
| Date | Event/reason | Amount (£) |
| (1 )Estimated costs based on the cost of events of a similar nature. (2 )Estimated cost. | ||
The Adjutant-General claimed £394.83 for the cost of alcohol for official entertainment in 2006. A breakdown is set out in the following table:
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