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10 Mar 2008 : Column 6W—continued
Devolution
Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister of the Welsh Assembly government on cross-border issues; and if he will make a statement. [192015]
Mr. Paul Murphy: I have regular meetings with the First Minister of the Welsh Assembly government when we use the opportunity to discuss a range of issues, including the delivery of services between Wales and England in cross-border areas.
It is important that both the UK Government and the Welsh Assembly government work in partnership to ensure that the highest standard of services are delivered to people on both sides of the border. I welcome the inquiry by the Welsh Affairs Committee into the provision of cross-border public services for Wales.
Iron and Steel
Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and (b) the Welsh Assembly government on the future of the steel industry in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [192086]
Mr. Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with ministerial and Welsh Assembly government colleagues on matters of importance to Wales, including the steel industry.
Tata Steel's announcement of a £9 million investment at its Morfa coke facilities, coupled with the company's earlier commitment to invest £60 million in energy management technology at Port Talbot is a huge vote of confidence in Welsh steel-making. These investments demonstrate the confidence business places in the future of steel making in Wales.
Transport
Departmental Cost Effectiveness
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress her Department has made in its zero-based budget review under the Comprehensive Spending Review. [191479]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Gentleman to Annex D3 in “Meeting the aspirations of the British people: the 2007 pre-Budget report and comprehensive spending review” (Cm 7227).
Departmental Data Protection
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what requirements her Department and its agencies place on contractors in relation to audit of data and IT equipment. [176649]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Contractors are used by the Department’s internal audit group and by line management to assist in the audit of data and IT equipment. Contractors typically have specialist skills relevant to the performance of audits.
The extent to which contractors are employed varies between the Department and its agencies, and the nature of requirements will vary according to the needs of specific situations.
The Department’s internal audit group has had arrangements with various contract partners to provide specialist data and IT audit resources where these are required. Individuals are appropriately qualified and are vetted to an appropriate level.
Contractors employed by DfT management to perform penetration testing must be CESG CLAS or part of the CHECK scheme. Agencies also include HSE and ISO/BS technical criteria requirements as appropriate for the contracted tasks.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what minimum demonstrable security standards are required by her Department and its agencies of a company before it is permitted to carry out an audit of data security processes. [176939]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department's internal audit group has contractual arrangements with third party partners who are able to provide technical expertise to assist with data security audits. These partners are typically either recognised national or international auditing firms or smaller specialist auditing practices. The individuals from these firms who assist the Department’s internal audit group will be bound by their respective professional standards, typically as a member of a recognised accountancy or auditing body.
Before performing work for the Department’s internal audit group, individuals will be subject to the same security checks and procedures as new recruits into the civil service.
Individuals from other organisations employed by the Department’s line management to perform audits and other checks are required to meet Government vetting standards.
Departmental Official Cars
Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what make and model of car (a) she and (b) each Minister in her Department selected as their official ministerial car; and what criteria were applied when making the decision in each case. [192384]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Prime Minister sets the criteria for cars for use by Ministers. Currently, Cabinet Ministers may choose either a diesel powered Jaguar XJ or a Toyota Prius hybrid. Other Ministers may also choose from a Toyota Prius, a Honda Civic hybrid or any other suitable car with a CO2 emission of 185 g/km or less.
Departmental Regulatory Impact Assessments
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many regulatory impact assessments her Department has conducted in the last 12 months. [191262]
Jim Fitzpatrick: In the 12 months to 31 January 2008 the Department undertook 51 consultations that were accompanied by regulatory impact assessments (RIAs) or impact assessments (IAs).
A final RIA was laid in Parliament with the Concessionary Bus Travel Act 2007. Final RIAs or IAs were laid with 40 pieces of Secondary Legislation.
We publish final RIAs and IAs on our website at:
Driving Tests: Motorcycles
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the appropriateness of the motorcycle driving test in other EU member states to driving a motorcycle on UK roads. [192907]
Jim Fitzpatrick: All EU member states are subject to European standards concerning training and testing persons who wish to obtain a licence to ride a motorcycle.
First Great Western
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what recent reports she has received on the standard of First Great Western services between Oxford and London; [178314]
(2) what steps she has taken to ensure that First Great Western complies with the terms of its franchise on commuter services between Oxford and London; [178315]
(3) what progress her Department has made in its discussions with First Great Western on standards of service on their Thames Valley commuter services. [178316]
Mr. Tom Harris [holding answer 15 January 2008]: I refer my right hon. Friend to the written statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, on 26 February 2008, Official Report, columns 73-74WS.
Government Car and Despatch Agency: Contracts
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the value is of the vehicle leasing contracts held between the Government Car and Despatch Agency and Government Departments in the last year for which figures are available. [192857]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 February 2008, Official Report, columns 1348-49W.
Great Western Trains: Rolling Stock
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to her written ministerial statement of 26 February 2008, Official Report, columns 73-74WS, on First Great Western franchise, how many extra carriages for the Portsmouth to Cardiff line will be provided; from where these will be sourced; and by what date. [190605]
Mr. Tom Harris [holding answer 29 February 2008]: 10 additional carriages will be provided, comprising five two-carriage class 150 trains from Arriva Trains Wales from May 2008.
Great Western Trains: Standards
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the performance of First Great Western in meeting its existing rail franchise obligations and targets; and if she will make a statement. [177831]
Mr. Tom Harris: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, on 26 February 2008, Official Report, columns 73-74WS.
Railways: Repairs and Maintenance
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what progress is being made towards the introduction of single-line working during engineering work on the railway; [193035]
(2) what steps are being taken to achieve a year-round seven-day railway service; and what timescale is being applied to these steps. [193037]
Mr. Tom Harris: These are operational matters for Network Rail as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to his questions:
Iain Coucher
Chief executive
Network Rail
40 Melton street
London. NW1 2EE.
Rolling Stock: Brighton
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will take steps to ensure provision of extra diesel rolling-stock on the Brighton-Ashford line during the current franchise period. [193036]
Mr. Tom Harris: All train operating companies, including Southern, are obliged to use their best endeavours to match available rolling stock to accommodate passenger demand.
Train Operating Companies: Franchises
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if she will place in the Library a copy of the franchise payment profile for (a) Arriva Trains Wales, (b) c2c, (c) Chiltern Railways, (d) Cross Country, (e) East Midlands Trains, (f) First ScotRail, (g) First TransPennine Express, (h) Gatwick Express, (i) London Midland, (j) London Overground and (k) Merseyrail; [191580]
(2) if she will place in the Library a copy of the franchise payment profile for (a) National Express East Coast, (b) Northern Rail, (c) One, (d) Southeastern, (e) Southern Trains, (f) South West Trains and (g) Virgin Trains. [191581]
Mr. Tom Harris [holding answer 4 March 2008]: I have placed a copy of the subsidy and premium profiles for all current franchises that are the responsibility of the Department for Transport in the Library of the House. Details of London Overground, Merseyrail and First Scotrail are not shown as these operators are managed by Transport for London, Merseytravel and Transport Scotland respectively. The subsidy profile for Arriva Trains Wales only shows the Department for Transport’s commitment, the bulk of this franchise being the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly Government.
Wind Power
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to which wind farm proposals her Department lodged objection in each of the last three years; and for what reasons in each case. [191114]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department has not objected to any offshore wind farm development proposals.
Any potential navigational safety issues have been addressed either in discussion between the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (who are statutory consultees in the developmental approval process) and the developers, or by the inclusion of appropriate conditional consents in the decision letter.
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions have taken place with local mobile telephone companies in Afghanistan on jamming telecommunication networks. [191128]
Des Browne: I am unaware of any discussions between local mobile telephone companies in Afghanistan and members of the UK armed forces on jamming telecommunications networks.
Armed Forces: Compensation
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications for compensation were (a) made and (b) successful from service personnel who were injured in armed combat in each of the last five years; and what the average length of time taken was for any payment to be made. [192156]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 6 March 2008]: Information on service personnel who have been injured in armed combat and subsequently made a claim for compensation could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
Armed Forces: Housing
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many single living accommodation units for service personnel are of standard (a) 1, (b) 2, (c) 3 and (d) 4 in (i) the UK and (ii) in each home nation. [184383]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 4 February 2008]: The standard of single living accommodation (SLA) is measured by Grade for Charge (GfC) an assessment of the physical condition of the accommodation, together with other factors such as location and closeness to amenities. SLA bed-spaces broken down by GfC and home nation are shown in the table as follows:
| Home nation | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Total |
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