Written Answers to Questions
Monday 7 January 2008
Scotland
Christmas
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether it is his Department's policy to use (a) incandescent light bulbs and (b) LED lights for festive decorations on departmental premises. [173495]
David Cairns: The information is as follows:
(a) The Scotland Office is included in the environmental management policy and programme for the Ministry of Justice and is implementing the Government's UK sustainable action plan, issued on 5 March 2007. This includes the ongoing changeover from general lighting bulbs to energy saving bulbs wherever possible.
(b) No specific requirements have been set for decorative Christmas lights.
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his Department's policy is on the selection of (a) real and (b) artificial Christmas trees for his Department's festive decorations; and how real trees are disposed of. [173520]
David Cairns: The Scotland Office purchases a real Christmas tree, via an MoJ procurement contract, from a sustainable source and it is collected and recycled as green waste.
Departmental Minimum Wage
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many London-based staff are employed by his Department on the national minimum wage. [175968]
David Cairns: All the staff in the Scotland Office are on loan from other Government Departments and the office reimburses those Departments for the costs involved. We do not hold payroll information on the national minimum wage as it applies to such staff.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on special advisers in 2006-07; how much has been allocated for 2007-08; and if he will make a statement. [173278]
David Cairns: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 5 December 2007, Official Report, column 1216W.
Members' Correspondence
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many letters his Department received from hon. Members and Peers in each session of Parliament since 1997. [174925]
David Cairns: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members/Peers correspondence. Information relating to 2007 will be published as soon as it has been collated. The report for 2006 was published on 28 March 2007, Official Report, columns 101-04WS. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House.
Wales
Barnett Formula
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment has been made of the Barnett consequentials arising from the Children’s Plan for (a) Wales and (b) the Bridgend constituency, broken down by funding area. [175236]
Mr. Hain: The funding for the Children’s Plan announced by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCFS) in December 2007, formed part of their comprehensive spending review (CSR 2007) settlement. Barnett Consequentials formed part of the settlement for the Welsh Assembly Government.
It is for the Welsh Assembly Government to determine the allocation of the block budget reflecting their priorities and policies.
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister in Wales on the £20 million Barnett consequential payment from support for disabled children and their families; and whether funding from this payment has been allocated in Bridgend constituency. [175274]
Mr. Hain: I meet regularly with the First Minister and discuss a wide range of topics including the Welsh Budget.
It is for the Welsh Assembly Government to determine the allocation of the block budget reflecting their priorities and policies.
Departmental Minimum Wage
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many London-based staff are employed by his Department on the national minimum wage. [175970]
Departmental Redundancies
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the cost was of redundancies in his Department in the 12 months preceding (a) 30 June 2004, (b) 30 June 2005 and (c) 30 June 2006. [175478]
Regulation
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales for which regulators and inspectorates his Department has had responsibility in each year since 1997; what the budget was of each such body in each year; and what the cost to the public purse was of any restructuring of each such body in each year. [175311]
House of Commons Commission
Energy Efficiency
Mr. Winnick: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if the Commission will take steps to ensure that (a) heating is not kept on in offices within the Parliamentary Estate at weekends and on other occasions when it is not likely the rooms are being used and (b) radiators are turned off at weekends and times when they are not used; and if he will make a statement. [174323]
Nick Harvey: All buildings on the parliamentary estate are under the control of a Building Management System (BMS), together with heating time scheduling to automatically turn on the heating prior to the time office areas are usually occupied and turn it off when the areas are vacated at the end of the day. The BMS is monitored by the Parliamentary Works Services staff around the clock.
Mr. Winnick: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much was spent on heating on the Parliamentary Estate in each of the last four years. [174327]
Nick Harvey: It is not possible to determine how much was spent just on heating on the parliamentary estate in each of the last four years. Most of the buildings are heated by natural gas boilers which are not metered separately; most of the gas meters also record the gas used in hot water generation and in some buildings, kitchens, as well as in heating. The heating costs of a small number of buildings are included in the leasing charges and therefore they are not known.
The amounts spent on gas on the parliamentary estate in each of the last four years are given in the following table:
| £ | |
The increase in gas expenditure in the last two years is mainly due to significant increases in the unit price of gas in those years.
Portcullis House: Fires
Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many times the occupants of Portcullis House were directed to leave the building due to fire in 2007; on how many such occasions a fire had occurred; what the seat of the fire was in each case where fire occurred; and what steps were taken on each occasion to (a) identify the person or persons responsible and (b) minimise the likelihood of reoccurrence. [175740]
Nick Harvey: Since 1 January 2007 there have been 13 evacuations from Portcullis House. Three were actual fires. After each fire a full fire investigation was carried out by the Fire Safety Manager.
Transport
Aircraft: Noise
Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimates she has made of the likely mean (a) nitrogen dioxide and (b) aircraft noise levels in each London borough under each of the proposed third runway scenarios in (i) 2015, (ii) 2020 and (iii) 2030; and what equivalent estimates she has made if levels of nitrogen dioxide emissions and noise from aircraft remain at average 2007 levels; [171791]
(2) what the mean (a) nitrogen dioxide, (b) PM10 and (c) aircraft noise levels were in each London borough in (i) 2000 and (ii) the last year for which figures are available. [171792]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The consultation document “Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport” and supporting technical reports include data and contours for NO2, PM10 and noise in the Heathrow area for 2002 (the base year for comparative purposes) and future airport development scenarios for 2015, 2020 and 2030.
Comprehensive information on air quality for each London borough is available via the London Air Quality Network
(www.londonair.org.uk/london/asp/default.asp?la_id=&;showbulletins=&width=1024)
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reasons were for the time taken to publish her Department's Attitudes to Noise from Aviation Sources report. [170691]
Jim Fitzpatrick: This was an especially challenging study given that it was not only reviewing attitudes of people to aircraft noise, but additionally was attempting ground breaking work by using specialist techniques to examine what monetary value should be put on such annoyance.
The study took longer to complete than originally envisaged primarily to accommodate additional pilot studies—as recommended by independent experts—designed to reinforce the methodology underpinning the main phase of the social survey.
The results of the study were announced just as soon as the extensive independent peer review process was completed.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will take steps to provide for independent verification of whether aircraft noise limits are being exceeded at UK airports. [170698]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The issue of independent monitoring of breaches of aircraft noise limits is a matter for individual airports as part of their day-to-day operational business.
I am aware of a number of cases where airports ensure that there is independent consideration of their noise and track keeping systems either by being certified to the ISO 14001 environmental management standard or having environmental policy and management systems subject to regular independent audit. In their environmental guidance manual for airports the Airport Operators Association acknowledge that the demonstration of a good environmental management system through externally certified management system can enable the airport to secure better relationships with customers, investors and the local community.
In the “Future of Air Transport” White Paper we said that our preference remains that local solutions should be devised for local problems wherever possible, and we expect airport master plans to describe the package of measures that an airport operator intends to apply to deal with local noise problems. We look to individual airport noise and track keeping groups and consultative committees to monitor airport operations such as track-keeping, noise mapping and observance of Continuous Descent Approach (CDA).
Cars: Exhaust Emissions
Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will estimate the number of cars in (a) London and (b) South East England which have carbon dioxide emissions (i) under 120g/km and meeting the Euro 4 standard for air quality, (ii) under 120g/km and not meeting the Euro 4 standard for air quality, (iii) between 120 and 225g/km and (iv) above 225g/km in each of the last five years. [172591]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Information on the number of vehicles meeting the Euro 4 standard is not held centrally.
The number of licensed cars over the last five years in London and South East England with carbon dioxide emissions between 120 and 225 g/km and above 225 g/km were as follows:
| Thousand | ||||
| London | South East England (excluding London) | |||
| 120- 225 g/km | Above 225 g/km | 120 - 225 g/km | Above 225 g/km | |
| Notes: 1. CO2 emissions data are unavailable for vehicles registered before 1 March 2001. In addition, CO2 data are also unavailable for a small number of vehicles registered after this date. 2. CO2 emissions data in the above 225 g/km group are not held separately for 2002 and 2003. 3. Data regarding the number of vehicles meeting the Euro 4 standard are not held centrally. | ||||
Cumbrian Coastal Rail Service
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers used the Cumbrian coastal rail service between Barrow-in-Furness and Carlisle in each year since 1997. [176645]
Mr. Tom Harris: The Department for Transport does not hold this information. The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) does however publish regional passenger flows in the National Rail Trends Yearbook editions, which are available in the House Library or from their website at www.rail-reg.gov.uk
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