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21 Jan 2008 : Column 1498W—continued
Waste Information Services Ltd.: Finance
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what payments (a) his Department and (b) the Waste Resources Action Programme has made to (i) Waste Information Services Ltd. and (ii) the Sauce Consultancy in the last 36 months. [176577]
Joan Ruddock: No such payments have been made by my Department to either company.
In the last 36 months, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has made payments to Waste Information Services Ltd. totalling £3,509.60. No payments have been made by WRAP to Sauce Consultancy over this period.
Water Supply
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made by the tri-sector partnership for water and sanitation on achieving the millennium development goals. [179490]
Mr. Thomas: I have been asked to reply.
DFID supports tri-sector partnerships that aim to help achieve the water and sanitation Millennium Development Goal targets. In particular DFID is funding:
The Partnership for Water and Sanitation (PAWS) which matches skills and expertise of UK groups with partner countries in Africa to build capacity for the delivery of water and sanitation. PAWS support is assisting three countries as follows:
United Utilities works with the Government of Ethiopia to address water loss and strengthen capacity in 24 towns and to train Ministry staff.
Atkins, South West Water and Cranfield University work with WaterAid Nigeria and the Government of Benue State to establish Water Consumer Associations in three small towns, and enhance customer engagement in water service provision to over 40,000 people.
A twinning arrangement between Yorkshire Water and Zululand District Municipality is exchanging knowledge in customer care, water quality and asset management which is providing improved services to over 150,000 people.
The Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) programme is a partnership between the private, public and civil society sectors to provide more effective delivery of water supply and basic sanitation services to approximately 3.5 million low-income urban and peri-urban communities by 2015. WSUP is piloting projects in Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique and India. This project has made good progress, with current projects expected to reach 35,000 people with better water and sanitation services by March 2008.
Whales: Conservation
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the threat to endangered whale species posed by the Japanese whaling fleet in waters off Antarctica. [179596]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer given 17 January 2008]: Japan plans to kill 935 minke and 50 fin whales in the Antarctic this season under its “scientific” research programme (known as JARPA II). Agreed estimates from the International Whaling Commission's Scientific Committee for both species are too old and uncertain to be relied upon. While it seems unlikely that Japan's activities will put the survival of either species at serious risk, we note that fin whales are listed as “Endangered” on the World Conservation Union Red List of threatened species. Hunting this species may therefore put at risk the survival of small localised populations frequenting the Antarctic and South Pacific.
When I called in the Japanese Deputy Ambassador on 8 January 2008, I stressed that we found the hunting of “Endangered” fin whales particularly unacceptable; the same point was firmly made in the Demarche presented to the Japanese Government on 21 December 2007.
Transport
Bus Services: Concessions
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what plans she has to provide extra discretionary funding to travel concession authorities in the event that the cost of providing the national bus concessionary fares scheme substantially exceeds the amount of special grant funding provided to them; [179085]
(2) what rural proofing was undertaken by her Department in respect of the national bus concessionary fares scheme; [179088]
(3) what allowance was made for the disparity between transport inflation and specific grant inflation allowance in the special grant funding provided to travel concession authorities. [179089]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government are making £212 million available to travel concession authorities in England for 2008-09 to cover the cost of the new statutory minimum bus concession which commences on 1 April 2008. This is based on very generous assumptions about fares, the take-up of passes, and the number of extra journeys. It also includes a significant contingency to allow for the difficulty of distributing grant by formula and uncertainty around likely travel patterns. No specific allowance has been made for transport inflation but the total allocation will increase to £217 million in 2009-10 and £223 million in 2010-11. We are confident that this will be sufficient to cover the on-going cost of the concession although we will be monitoring its impact closely. Authorities offering concessions that are more generous than the statutory minimum must do so at their own cost. We have no plans to provide additional funding to individual authorities.
In terms of considering the needs of rural authorities, we are proposing a distribution of this grant that takes into account visitor numbers, levels of bus use, retail floor space, and eligible population—all variables likely to be linked to the eventual pattern of cost. Our proposed distribution also reflects the clear preference of those who responded to our recent consultation on the issue.
Bus Services: Fares
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average rise in bus fares was in each English local authority in each of the last 10 years. [180107]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not available. However, estimates for London, the metropolitan areas and the rest of England were published for 1996-97 to 2006-07 in Table G of the Public Transport Statistics Bulletin GB in September 2007. They are shown in the following table.
| Local bus fare indices: 1996-97 to 2006-07 | ||||
| 1995=100 | ||||
| London | English PTE areas | English non-PTE areas | England | |
Bus Services: Passengers
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if she will list the 10 town or council areas, with (a) the largest percentage increases in bus usage and (b) the largest percentage decreases in bus usage for the latest year for which figures are available; [180274]
(2) if she will list the 10 town or council areas with the (a) largest and (b) smallest number of bus journeys made for the latest year for which figures are available. [180275]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not available from the DFT annual survey of bus operators. Local authority estimates of bus passenger journeys are published on the Audit Commission’s best value data web page at:
Cars
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average mileage of a car in England was in each year since 1994. [178135]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The following table shows the estimated average annual mileage of four-wheeled cars in England for 1995-97 (combined years) to 2006. The figures are based on data from the National Travel Survey.
| Annual mileage of four-wheeled cars, England, 1995-97 to 2006 | |
| Average mileage | |
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what products featuring departmental or Government branding were procured by (a) her Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last five years. [179787]
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Full details of individual products featuring departmental or Government branding procured in each of the last five years could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Branded items that we have procured, however, include typical promotional goods such as
carrier bags for use in exhibitions; road safety stickers to support our campaigns, pens, desk pads and mugs. Less typical promotional items, but relevant to the promotion of road safety, include triangular reflectors and ice scrapers.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many posters or displays there are in the offices of her Department and its agencies displaying the names and photographs of Ministers; and what the cost has been of producing such posters or displays in the last five years. [179847]
Jim Fitzpatrick: A number of display panels around our two headquarters buildings in London inform staff and visitors about our objectives, our structure and governance and our work. Five panels include the names and photographs of Ministers. The costs are usually included in contracts covering other internal publicity activity and separating out this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any of her Department's special advisers also work for organisations outside her Department. [178475]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Special advisers are appointed under terms and conditions set out in the “Model Contract and Code of Conduct for Special Advisers”, copies of which are in the Library of the House.
Driving Tests: Elderly
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations she has received on a proposed compulsory driving test for elderly drivers. [179359]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 15 January 2008]: Over the last 12 months the Department has received numerous representations from Members of Parliament, stakeholders and interested parties on this issue.
Driving Under Influence: Death
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many young people who died as a result of road traffic accidents were (a) under the influence of alcohol and (b) under the influence of drugs in each of the past 10 years. [180131]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The percentage of drivers and riders killed over the legal blood alcohol limit by age group for Great Britain from 1997 to 2006 is shown in the table.
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