Written Answers to Questions
The following answers were received between Tuesday 18 September and Monday 1 October 2007
Duchy of Lancaster
Public Service
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether his Department has carried out any studies into Public Service Entitlement since 2004. [154974]
Edward Miliband [holding answer 10 September 2007]: In 2004, the Office of Public Services Reform undertook a review of understanding and enforcement among public service providers and business of rules on eligibility for public services. Since then, the Cabinet Office has supported interdepartmental ministerial consideration of related issues, including during the development of “Enforcing the rules: A new strategy to ensure and enforce compliance with our immigration laws”, which was published by the Home Office in March 2007.
International Development
Departments: Departmental Coordination
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) ministerial committees and (b) permanent groups involving senior civil servants have been set up by his Department to liaise with the Ministers for Women. [155244]
Mr. Douglas Alexander [holding answer 12 September 2007]: No committees or groups have been set up specifically to liaise with the Ministers for Women. As with all cross-cutting issues, Ministers and officials in DFID liaise with the Ministers for Women as necessary.
Transport
Aviation: Baggage
Mr. Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints she has received from airline passengers in relation to delayed and lost baggage in each of the last six months; and if she will make a statement. [155528]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 17 September 2007]: The Department receives few direct complaints from airline passengers. This is because the Air Transport Users’ Council (AUC) is the passenger complaints body in the UK for airline services.
Figures from the AUC show that in the last six months it received some 3361 written complaints. Of these 234 related to lost or delayed baggage.
Passenger rights in respect of the loss, damage or delay to baggage are protected by international legislation. Under the 1999 Montreal Convention which came into force for the UK in June 2004 the carrier is prima facie liable for luggage that has been delayed, damaged or lost (unless the carrier can establish a defence under the Convention). The liability for delay, loss or damage to baggage is limited to 1,000 Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) - approximately £820. These are maximum limits. Claims are assessed individually.
Bus Services
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average (a) number of trips and (b) trip length taken each year (i) by bus and (ii) in total was for people in each income decile and in each region in each year in which a national travel survey has been published. [152143]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Data available from the National Travel Survey are given in the tables which have been placed in the Libraries of the House. The National Travel Survey provides detailed information on personal travel in Great Britain. The sample size was increased in 2002; since 2002 the survey has been based on a random sample of around 8,000 responding private households each year.
Due to small sample sizes at the level of disaggregation requested, data from several survey years have been combined to produce more reliable estimates.
In 2006 a weighting strategy was introduced to the NTS to improve the reliability of the data. This weighting methodology has been applied to data back to 1995 so figures for earlier years are not directly comparable with data for 1995 onwards.
Departments: Redundancy Pay
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent by her Department on redundancy payments in the last 12 months. [153204]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department and its agencies had no compulsory redundancies in the 12 months ending March 2007.
For the cost of the voluntary exit scheme for the 12 months ending March 2007, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Lincoln (Gillian Merron), on 2 March 2007, Official Report, columns 1571-2W to the hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening).
Departments: Tribunals
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent by her Department on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months. [153207]
Jim Fitzpatrick: During 2006-07, the Department has identified incurred costs at industrial tribunals amounting to £176,456.
Figures for DSA and MCGA are not available.
Heathrow Airport: Complaints
Mr. Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints she has received from passengers about Heathrow Airport in each of the last three months; and if she will make a statement. [155520]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 17 September 2007]: The Department for Transport received three complaints from passengers about Heathrow Airport in June, four complaints in July, and six complaints in August. These related largely to the management of outbound security.
M25
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the projected cost is of each of the sections of the project to widen the M25. [155155]
Mr. Tom Harris [holding answer 12 September 2007]: The latest Ministerially approved estimate for each of the sections of the M25 widening is as follows:
| £ million | |
| M25 Widening | Ministerially approved estimate |
The ministerially approved estimate for M25 Junction 27-30 (Section 4) referred to in the table, has recently been revised and will be included in the Environmental Statement for publication next month.
Railways
Mr. Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has held following the report of the Office of Rail Regulation on the increase in rail defects caused by heavier trains introduced over the last two years. [155158]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 12 September 2007]: Department for Transport officials are engaged with Network Rail, train operators and the train manufacturers on the impact trains have on track.
Looking to the future the Department is taking a lead in specifying lighter trains that have been assessed using the latest industry models to optimise the train design.
Health
General Practitioners: Telephone Services
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by primary care trust the medical GP practices which use 0844 revenue-shaving telephone numbers; and what guidance he has issued on the use of such numbers. [155523]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department does not collect information on telephone numbers in use by general practitioners practices.
Lord Warner wrote to primary care trust chief executives on 19 December 2006 about the use of non-geographical (084) telephone numbers by NHS services. The letter has been placed in the Library and is also available at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Lettersand circulars/Dearcolleagueletters/DH_064287
Justice
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many individuals convicted of benefit fraud in the last 12 months had (a) one, (b) two and (c) three or more previous convictions. [153053]
Mr. Plaskitt: I have been asked to reply
DWP only keeps records of benefit fraud convictions. These records commenced in April 2002 to support the Loss of Benefit Provisions legislation (Two Strikes) introduced by the Social Security Fraud Act 2001, and information is kept for five years in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
Our records show that of 6,061 benefit fraud convictions recorded between 1 September 2006 and 31 August 2007, there were 66 convictions for a second benefit fraud offence and one conviction for a third benefit fraud offence.
Treasury
Departments: Early Retirement
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of his staff took early retirement in the last five years; at what cost; what grades of staff took early retirement; and what percentage of each grade took early retirement. [148809]
Angela Eagle: The number and grades of Treasury staff for whom early retirement or early severance was agreed in the last five years and the associated costs are as follows. An analysis of percentage of each grade could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
| Financial year | Cost (£000) | Grade of staff | Number |
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