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5 Dec 2007 : Column 1234Wcontinued
Number of reported personal injury road accidents and resulting fatalities on the A143 in Great Barton( 1) , 1997 to 2006 | ||||
All accidents | Accidents involving drivers/riders aged under 21 years | |||
Number of accidents | Resulting fatalities | Number of accidents | Resulting fatalities | |
1 Between junction with Fornham road and the junction with Mill road (B1106) |
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much was spent on transport in each of the UK regions in each of the last five years; [163241]
(2) how much was budgeted for transport in each of the UK regions in each of the last five years; [163242]
(3) how much was budgeted for major transport developments in each of the UK regions in each of the last five years. [163471]
Ms Rosie Winterton: An analysis of identifiable UK current and capital expenditure on transport by country and region from 2001-02 to 2006-07 is published in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2007, Cm 7091, in tables 9.5a to 9.10b. The information is also available electronically on the Treasury website at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk
The Departments planned and outturn identifiable expenditure on services by country and region (excluding spending by local government) is shown in the Departments successive annual reports, analysed according to the country or region for whose benefit the expenditure has been, or is expected to be, incurred. The most recent is in table A7 of the annual report 2007, Cm 7095. The information is also available electronically on the Departments website at www.dft.gov.uk
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the likely change in the number of journeys made by (a) car, (b) train, (c) bus and (d) aircraft in each of the next 10 years. [169250]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Recent road traffic forecasts by the Department are available at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/roadpricing/research trafficcongestion
Rail forecasts were published alongside the White Paper, Delivering a Sustainable Railway, at:
A range of documents are available specifically about the forecasts at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/strategy/whitepapers/white papercm7176/railwhitepaperresearch
The latest departmental aviation forecasts are available at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/environmentalissues/ukair demandandco2forecasts
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what recent discussions she has had with the Department for Communities and Local Government on the funding of the nationwide pensioner travel concessionary scheme in 2008; and if she will make a statement; [169513]
(2) what estimate she has made of the cost to local authorities of introducing the nationwide pensioner concessionary travel scheme in 2008. [169514]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 29 November 2007]: From 1 April 2008, people aged 60 and over and eligible disabled people in England will be entitled to free off-peak local bus travel anywhere in England, not just within their local area as at present.
There have been various discussions between Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Transport, both at official and ministerial level. The Government are providing local authorities in England an extra £212 million/£217 million/£223 million for the next three years. This extra funding is based on generous assumptions about the
probable cost impact of the new concession, including visitor hot spots. We are confident this funding will be sufficient in aggregate.
The existing funding for concessionary fares is, and will continue to be, distributed by the Department for Communities and Local Government via the formula grant system. There was no significant support among local government to extract the existing funding for statutory concessions from the formula grant system.
The extra funding for the national bus concession will be distributed by the Department for Transport via a special grant. The decision to use a special grant reflects both the views of local government and the challenges of deriving a formula distribution that matches the probable cost impact of the new concession, taking into account popular tourist resorts and large transport hubs. We anticipate transferring this additional funding into the formula grant process at the beginning of the next three-year settlement period (2011-12).
The Department for Transports consultation on the formula basis for the distribution of the special grant closed on 23 November. A provisional view on the distribution will be made in due course and will be finalised by a parliamentary debate in the new year.
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to increase the take-up rate of council tax benefit. [168034]
Mr. Plaskitt: I been asked to reply.
Council tax benefit (CTB) take-up is lowest among pensioners and they are therefore our priority. One phone call to the Pension Service can give customers access to four benefitspension credit, state retirement pension, CTB and housing benefit (HB). A simple claim form for HB/CTB is completed for the customer. All they need to do is check it, sign it and send it back.
We are taking other measures to promote the take-up of CTB. There are annual awareness campaigns. We have provided local authorities with best practice guidance that contains information about barriers to claiming, ways of overcoming them, and case study examples of good practice to improve take-up. We have supported the simple claim form arrangements with computer scans run by the Pension Service to discover people getting pension credit but not CTB and this information is passed to local authorities. We encourage local authorities to do take-up activity through our performance standards and have awarded £2.2 million to 38 authorities to increase CTB take-up.
In the longer term, we want to deliver CTB as accessibly, simply and securely as possible. We want to research the feasibility of using data held across Government to build profiles of people likely to be entitled. We also want to develop the concept of a single point of contact for pensioners, coupled with alignment of application processes that will provide greater efficiency and a better public service.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will bring forward proposals to treat anti-Semitic crimes as distinct from other crimes of racial hatred; what recent representations she has received on this matter; and if she will make a statement. [165736]
Mr. Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
The Governments work on hate crime seeks to address all forms of hate crime, whether it be on anti-Semitic grounds, on other racial or religious grounds, or on the grounds of sexual orientation, disability or gender identity. However, one of our priorities is to understand better the nature and extent of all hate crimes, and to this end we are currently in the process of changing the way we collect data on hate crime: from April 2007 we have asked the police to flag information about hate crimes, which should help us develop a more detailed picture.
We have also set up a cross-Government working group to develop our response to the All Party Parliamentary Inquiry Into Anti-Semitism.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration her Department has given to the merits of making sprinkler systems compulsory in new large business premises. [171564]
Mr. Dhanda: The recent review of the fire safety aspects in Part B of the Building Regulations considered fire safety in all types of premises and the important role that sprinklers and other types of fire protection measures may have. A number of changes were made, following extensive research and full public consultation. These changes came into force in April this year and were supported by a Regulatory Impact Assessment setting out the costs and benefits of the changes.
For a number of years, sprinklers have been asked for in a range of situations under the Building Regulations, such as the majority of tall (30 m+) buildings and buildings with large compartments (e.g. shops with a compartment over 2,000 m(2)). The amended Part B gives greater recognition to the role of sprinklers for life safety and the accompanying guidance has been expanded, where justified, to include their use in a wider range of situations. These include in tall (30 m+) blocks of flats, certain care homes and in large single-storey storage buildings.
In addition, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which applies to both new and existing non-domestic buildings, requires that the responsible person for a premises carry out a risk assessment and take necessary fire precautions to ensure the safety of the occupants of the building. This could include the provision of sprinklers, where it is justified by the risk. It is also open for property owners and their insurers to consider the benefits of sprinklers for property protection and business continuity.
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the Governments timetable is for implementing the recommendations of the Quirk Review. [170149]
John Healey [holding answer 29 November 2007]: In May 2007, the Government accepted the recommendations of the Quirk Review and published Opening the Transfer window: the Governments response to the Quirk Review of community management and ownership of public assets. This details specific actions to be taken with partners to take forward the implementation of the Review, and specifies a timetable to 2009. It also commits Communities and Local Government to a review in 2008, to consider what further action should be taken in the light of progress made.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many invitations to tender her Department has issued in the last 12 months; and for what purpose in each case. [171684]
Mr. Dhanda: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were on council housing waiting lists in each (a) district/unitary housing authority and (b) region in England in each of the last five years. [170358]
Mr. Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 13 November 2007, Official Report, column 116W, to my right hon. Friend the Member for Oldham, West and Royton (Mr. Meacher).
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which companies are under contract to her Department to provide mail services. [170162]
Mr. Dhanda: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for South-West Norfolk (Mr. Fraser), on 21 March 2007, Official Report, column 986W.
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of her Department's (a) computers and (b) laptops have been stolen in 2007; and what the value of those items was. [168598]
Mr. Dhanda:
11 laptops, valued at approximately £800 each, were recorded as stolen in separate incidents in 2007. All laptop hard disks were encrypted to CESG standards, access to which would require extremely
sophisticated and expensive equipment not available to the general public. Two desktop computers were recovered after being taken off site without permission in 2007. This was not a malicious act; it was not classed as theft.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what land surplus to her Department's requirements it is (a) selling, (b) leasing and (c) intending to (i) sell and (ii) lease; and what the size and name of each relevant site is. [168846]
Mr. Dhanda: Communities and Local Government does not have any surplus land it is selling or leasing and neither does it have any surplus land it is intending to sell or lease.
This response does not include land held by Government offices, who carry out functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments or other sponsored bodies.
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