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17 Dec 2007 : Column 1164W—continued
Aircraft: Noise
Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many people in London live in an area of more than (a) 50, (b) 52, (c) 54, (d) 56, (e) 58, (f) 60, (g) 62, (h) 63, (i) 66, (j) 69, (k) 70 and (l) 72 dBA arising from aircraft noise; [171805]
(2) what estimate she has made of the number of people in London who would live in an area with more than (a) 50, (b) 52, (c) 54, (d) 56, (e) 58, (f) 60, (g) 62, (h) 63, (i) 66, (j) 69, (k) 70 and (l) 72 dBA as a consequence of aircraft noise under each of the Heathrow runway options in (i) 2015, (ii) 2020 and (iii) 2030. [171806]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Annual aircraft noise contours are produced for the Department by the Environmental Research and Consultancy Department (ERCD) of the Civil Aviation Authority. These show noise contours from 57dBA to 72dBA in steps of 3dB and provide information on the population within each contour. The latest report is ‘Noise Exposure Contours for Heathrow Airport 2006’ (ERCD Report 0701). ERCD have confirmed that, for 2006, the population within the 54dBA contour and above, is 609,700.
ERCD have also produced a supporting technical report ‘Revised Future Aircraft Noise Exposure Estimates for Heathrow Airport’, (ERCD Report 0705), as part of our current consultation ‘Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport’. This predicts future populations within the noise contours (including the 54dBA contour level) for various operating and development scenarios in 2015, 2020 and 2030. All these documents are available on the Department's website at:
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she plans to retain the current cap on night flights past 2012. [170695]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The current night flights regime was introduced in October 2006 and lasts to 2012. Decisions on the night regime to apply from 2012 will be subject to a future consultation, however, there is not necessarily a relationship between the capacity of Heathrow airport and the number of night flights.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she is considering strengthening the system of fines for exceeding aircraft noise quotas. [170696]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Civil Aviation Act 2006 strengthened airport operators' powers to control noise at airports. These powers enable airports to introduce noise control schemes or impose financial penalties on aircraft operators straying from agreed flight paths or exceeding noise limits on departure. We plan to consult airport consultative committees next year as to the extent to which airports have begun to make use of these new powers and keep this issue under review. A number of airport operators have also introduced noise related charging schemes to encourage the use of quieter aircraft.
Airports: Greater London
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of Ferrovial’s ability to meet the combined cost of new runways at both Stansted and Heathrow. [170709]
Jim Fitzpatrick: At acquisition, BAA’s new owners Ferrovial Airport Development and Investment Ltd. (ADI) stated their commitment to deliver the airport capacity proposed in the 2003 Future of Air Transport White Paper, and Ferrovial provided us with assurances of their support for the investment programme.
Airports: Security
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make representations to BAA to ensure that security procedures at London's main airports for passengers going to Belfast are identical to those in place for passengers bound for other airports in the UK. [174597]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The aviation security measures in place in the UK apply equally to all airports within the National Aviation Security Programme.
Aviation: Security
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will take steps to ensure that flights into the UK are compliant with the same security standards as flights from the UK. [173416]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 11 December 2007]: International civil aviation operates under the principle of host state responsibility, whereby each state is responsible for the security of air services operated from its territory. States are required as a minimum to deliver the security standards laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organisation and, within the European Union, those mandated by EU aviation security legislation. The Department for Transport engages both multilaterally and bilaterally to help reinforce aviation security performance in other countries, including in particular those from which there are flights to the UK.
Bus Services: Concessions
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if she will ensure that the Government grant to Torbay Unitary Authority covers the authority's costs arising from the nationwide concessionary bus fare scheme, taking into account the anticipated increase in bus usage during the summer months; [175019]
(2) what the estimated cost to the Torbay Unitary Authority will be of the nationwide concessionary bus fare scheme in 2008-09; what proportion of this will be funded by her Department; and if she will make a statement. [175020]
Ms Rosie Winterton: On 6 December the Government announced the provisional allocations for the special grant to fund the costs of the new all-England bus concession commencing in April 2008. The grant allocation distributes £212 million to authorities using a formula based on data about bus patronage, retail floor space, visitors and eligible population.
Torbay's allocation for 2008-09 is £0.982 million. This represents a significant increase on its existing budget for concessionary travel. We are confident that the total being distributed to local authorities is sufficient in aggregate to cover all the costs of the new concession.
The special grant funding is only to meet the additional costs of the new concession. Existing funding for concessionary travel will continue to be distributed through the formula grant system (RSG). This is consistent with the wishes of local government to have freedom and flexibility in how they use their funding. Authorities are free to add local enhancements to the statutory minimum concession at their own discretion. However these enhancements must be funded locally.
Bus Services: Tickets
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many local authorities she expects to introduce smart cards or smart card technology for concessionary bus travel on 1 April 2008. [173890]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
From 1 April 2008 all 291 local authorities outside London who are responsible for administering concessionary travel schemes will be required to issue their passes in smartcard format. We are not requiring smart readers to be installed on all buses in England for April. In areas where there are no
smart readers, the passes will simply be shown to the bus drivers as they are now.
The Government are committed to supporting local authorities in delivering the new smartcard pass. We have paid a grant of around £31 million pounds to pay for reasonable new cost burdens associated with issuing passes. We have also put in place a network of mentor authorities to provide additional advice and guidance to transport concessionary authorities (TCAs) and have a dedicated and experienced team within the Department to provide support to TCAs and to monitor their progress.
In addition we have put in place a framework agreement which TCAs can use to produce their smartcards, though they are free to other ITSO compliant smartcard producers if they wish. We have also put in place a number of other framework agreements offering related services, such as smartcard database management and the provision of equipment to allow TCAs to produce passes in-house.
Buses: Antisocial Behaviour
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on tackling anti-social behaviour on buses. [168686]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Secretary of State has had no recent discussions with the Home Secretary on antisocial behaviour on buses, but work is being taken forward by officials. This is an issue we take seriously. My officials liaise with Home Office officials, among other stakeholders, through the Safer Travel on Buses Panel (STOP) which looks to disseminate good practice to the industry and relevant parties on tackling crime and antisocial behaviour in bus travel.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with (a) the Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority and (b) the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police about anti-social behaviour on buses. [168687]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Secretary of State has not had recent discussions with either the Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority or the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police about antisocial behaviour on buses. My officials liaise with Metropolitan police, Transport for London, and Home Office officials, among other stakeholders, through the Safer Travel on Buses Panel (STOP) which looks to disseminate good practice to the industry and relevant parties on tackling crime and antisocial behaviour in bus travel.
Departmental Computers
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of her Department’s (a) computers and (b) laptops have been stolen in 2007; and what the value of those items was. [168592]
Jim Fitzpatrick:
I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 November 2007, Official Report, column 1179. The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within
Departments and agencies for the storage and use of data. A statement on Departments’ procedures will be made on completion of the review. An interim progress report on the review was published today by the Cabinet Office through a written ministerial statement. I also refer the hon. Member to the statement of 17 December by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on measures to improve the security of personal data.
Departmental Correspondence
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many items of post sent by her Department and its predecessors were reported missing by the intended recipient in each year since 1997. [171293]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 November 2007, Official Report, column 1179. The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within departments and agencies for the storage and use of data. A statement on departments' procedures will be made on completion of the review. An interim progress report on the review was published today by the Cabinet Office through a written ministerial statement. I also refer the hon. Member to the statement of 17 December by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on measures to improve the security of personal data.
Departmental Data Protection
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what categories of information her Department and its agencies hold on individuals; who has access to that information in each case; and how the individuals concerned can ascertain (a) by whom and (b) for what purposes data held on them has been accessed. [168999]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 28 November 2007]: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 November, Official Report, column 1179. The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within departments and agencies for the storage and use of data. A statement on departments' procedures will be made on completion of the review. An interim progress report on the review was published today by the Cabinet Office through a written ministerial statement. I also refer the hon. Member to the statement of 17 December by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on measures to improve the security of personal data.
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what reviews have been undertaken of her Department’s rules on data protection in the last two years; if she will place in the Library a copy of the report of the last review of her Department’s compliance with data protection laws; and if (a) her Department and (b) her Department’s agencies will undertake a review of their compliance with data protection laws; [168074]
(2) on how many occasions in (a) her Department and (b) its agencies confidential data have been downloaded on to compact discs (i) without and (ii) with encryption in the last 12 month period for which figures are available; how many of those discs have been posted without using recorded or registered delivery; what procedures her Department has in place for the (A) transport, (B) exchange and (C) delivery of confidential or sensitive data; what records are kept of information held by her Department being sent outside the Department; what changes have been made to her Department’s rules and procedures on data protection in the last two years; on how many occasions her Department’s procedures and rules on data protection have been breached in the last five years; what those breaches were; what procedures her Department has in place on downloading confidential data on to computer discs before its transfer; what technical protections there are in her Department’s computer systems to prevent access to information held on those systems which is not in accordance with departmental procedures; and if she will place in the Library a copy of each of her Department’s rules and procedures on the protection of confidential data on individuals, businesses and other organisations; [168248]
(3) how many employees of each grade in her Department (a) have access to confidential or sensitive data and (b) are authorised to download such data to disk; how many of her Department’s employees have undergone data protection training in the last 12 months; what the average length of time is that each employee of (i) her Department and (ii) her Department’s agencies has spent on data protection training; how many investigations of employees of her Department for improperly accessing confidential information have taken place in the last 12 months; how many such investigations resulted in cases of disciplinary action; and what the circumstances of each of those cases were. [168283]
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what procedures are in place in her Department to ensure that personal information relating to members of the public is (a) stored and (b) transported securely. [168462]
Mr. Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department’s information technology and data management systems are BS7799 compliant. [168739]
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what mechanisms her Department has in place to ensure that databases containing personal information on members of the general public are not accessed (a) by unauthorised staff and (b) by authorised staff for unauthorised purposes; [169010]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (2) how many requests her Department received in each year since 1997 from the National Audit Office for access to databases containing personal information on members of the general public; [169011]
(3) how many times databases containing personal information on members of the general public held by her Department were accessed in each month in the last five years; [169012]
(4) how many staff have access to electronic databases which contain personal information on members of the general public in her Department, broken down by grade; [169013]
(5) how many security breaches regarding access to personal data there were within her Department in each year since 1997; [169014]
(6) for how many electronic databases containing (a) names, (b) addresses, (c) bank details and (d) other personal information of members of the general public her Department is responsible; and in what year each database was set up. [169015]
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she proposes to review how her Department transports data; and whether her Department uses TNT to transport data. [169384]
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many confirmed data security breaches there have been in her Department in the last 36 months; and what action was taken after each occurrence. [170245]
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department has taken to protect the personal data on members of the public which it holds. [171423]
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) on how many occasions the Information Commissioner was contacted by her Department to report breaches of data protection security in each of the last five years; [168825]
(2) how many breaches of data protection security there were in (a) her Department and (b) her Department’s Agencies in each of the last five years; and if she will provide details of each breach. [168842]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the right hon. and hon. Members to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 November 2007, Official Report, column 1179. The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within Departments and agencies for the storage and use of data. A statement on Departments’ procedures will be made on completion of the review. An interim progress report on the review was published today by the Cabinet Office through a written ministerial statement. I also refer the hon. Members to the statement of 17 December by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on measures to improve the security of personal data.
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