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31 Mar 2008 : Column 455W—continued
Both black cabs and contracted car hire services are used for these services. The type of vehicle provided will depend on the number of passengers to be carried.
Departmental Expenses
John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the 24-hour overnight allowance is for staff employed by the House of Commons Commission when working outside London but in the UK. [197344]
Nick Harvey: Staff away from home on official business may claim for the cost of meals and accommodation. For overnight stays the cost of bed and breakfast is reimbursed directly. In addition an allowance is paid to cover main meals; for areas outside inner London this is £18.65 in any 24 hour period. A personal or incidental expenses allowance of £5 per night is also payable.
Drinking Water
Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2008, Official Report, columns 1311-2W, on drinking water, if the Commission will make it its policy to provide tap water in addition to bottled water in committee and meeting rooms while the re-examination of policy on the provision of drinking water is underway. [197525]
Nick Harvey: The standing recommendation from the Administration Committee is for the provision of bottled water in committee rooms. The Department of Facilities is re-examining the issue and no further action will be taken until the Administration Committee has had the opportunity to consider the matter.
Internet: Biofuels
Mr. Hoban: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many people accessed the parliamentary podcast pilot on biofuels in the 24 hours following its launch. [196649]
Nick Harvey: In the first 24 hours after the parliamentary podcast pilot launch the biofuels recording was accessed by four users who subscribed to the podcast Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed. In the first week of launch 452 visitors viewed the biofuels pages on the parliamentary website.
Mineral Waters
Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what proportion of glass from bottles containing drinking water on sale in parliamentary canteens or provided by House departments for hon. Members’ use was (a) recycled and (b) sent for disposal in landfill sites in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the estimated cost was to departments of the House of providing bottles of water in each year since 1997. [194558]
Nick Harvey: All glass from bottles containing drinking water on sale in parliamentary canteens or provided by House departments for hon. Members’ use is recycled.
The cost of bottled water provided by the House of Commons in each of the last five financial years is
estimated in the table. Costs are not available prior to 2002. Catering and Retail Services sells water to its customers at a profit, and so the cost of water purchased for sale in the catering outlets (item (a) in the following table) is not a cost to the House.
| Cost of bottled water purchases | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 |
| (1) incl. committee rooms (2 )estimated | |||||
Palace of Westminster: Screening
Mr. Bone: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what representations the Commission has received on the provision of a mobile screening unit for bowel cancer in the Palace of Westminster. [197673]
Nick Harvey: There have been no representations to the Commission about the provision of a mobile screening unit for bowel cancer in the Palace of Westminster. However, a bowel cancer awareness day was held in the Attlee suite, Portcullis House on 20 April 2006. The joint parliamentary medical panel has taken the view that it is impractical for mobile screening to be carried out on the parliamentary estate.
Palace of Westminster: Waste Management
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much waste was sent to landfill by the House in each year since 1997. [197405]
Nick Harvey: No waste from the parliamentary estate has been sent to landfill since 1998. A proportion of the waste is reused and recycled and what cannot be reused or recycled is sent to a power plant where it is burnt to generate electricity. Of the waste from the power plant; the larger clinker waste is used in road base construction and the finer dust waste is sent to landfill. During 2006-07, the parliamentary estate sent 1,173 tonnes of waste to the power plant. This waste is mixed with waste from other buildings and it is not possible to determine how much dust waste results from the burning of the parliamentary waste and consequently, how much dust waste is sent to landfill.
Rackspace
Mr. Hands: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the value was of each contract awarded to Rackspace by the House of Commons Commission in each of the last nine years. [197521]
Nick Harvey: There is no record of Rackspace having any contract with the House.
Wales
Brofiscin Quarry: Hazardous Substances
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to his Answer of 17 March 2008, Official Report, column 819W, on Brofiscin Quarry: hazardous substances, what the timetable was of action taken by the Environment Agency since 2001 when they have been involved in site investigations at Brofiscin Quarry; and if he will make a statement. [196354]
Mr. Paul Murphy: I am informed by the Environment Agency Wales that under part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Brofiscin Quarry was designated as a ‘special site’ by Rhondda Cynon Taf county borough council in March 2005. At that time the Environment Agency began its investigations of Brofiscin Quarry pursuant to the provisions of the Act. Those investigations are currently ongoing.
The Environment Agency is currently concluding a remedial options appraisal in accordance with the relevant legislation and statutory guidance. The Environment Agency has liaised with local residents and other interested parties throughout its investigations.
Departmental Alcoholic Drinks
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales at how many events held by his Department (a) wine and (b) Fairtrade wine were served in the last three years; and what assessment his Department has made of the merits of serving Fairtrade wine at future events. [196936]
Mr. Paul Murphy: In the last three years my Department has held 15 events where wine has been served, none of the wine was fairtrade.
When catering for future functions in London and Cardiff, where possible and consistent with value for money, the purchase of fairtrade wine and locally sourced wine will be considered.
Suicide: Young People
Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will discuss the co-ordination of support services for suicide prevention amongst young people with the First Minister of the Welsh Assembly Government; and if he will make a statement. [196782]
Mr. Paul Murphy: I regularly discuss a range of issues with the First Minister of the Welsh Assembly Government including the co-ordination of support services for suicide prevention among young people in Wales.
The Welsh Assembly Government and local services in Bridgend are working in full collaboration with the police service to analyse the recent tragic deaths within the Bridgend county borough. This analysis is being used to inform the development of an all Wales Suicide Prevention Action Plan.
It is of enormous encouragement that the many voluntary and support organisations, the health and social care agencies and the police, which all do tremendous work in the management of vulnerable children, young people and adults, continue to work in close collaboration.
By continuing this work, and through improvements to interagency joint arrangements, training and awareness raising across agencies, we hope to reduce occurrence of these tragic incidences.
Solicitor-General
Genetics: Databases
David Davis: To ask the Solicitor-General how many individuals matched to UK records from the Dutch disk of DNA profiles sent to the Crown Prosecution Service are (a) the subject of extradition requests by the Dutch authorities and (b) subject to a UK arrest warrant. [197055]
The Solicitor-General: As part of an initiative to exchange data between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, 2,159 DNA profiles from crime scenes in the Netherlands have been searched against the UK National DNA Database. The DNA matches identified as a result are now the subject of ongoing police investigations, both here and in the Netherlands.
Data arising as a result of this continuing police operation are liable to change subject to developments both here and in the Netherlands, and no information can be released which might in any way jeopardise ongoing investigations.
Racially Aggravated Offences: Prosecutions
John Mann: To ask the Solicitor-General how many prosecutions for racial hatred offences there were in each of the last 10 years. [197323]
The Solicitor-General: The Attorney-General's consent is required for prosecutions under Part III of the Public Order Act 1986 (relating to offences concerning conduct intended to, or likely to, stir up racial hatred). The Attorney- General's Office (AGO) keeps statistics in relation to prosecutions where such consent has been granted. The following table captures the relevant data for 1998 to 2008 inclusive. The statistics are recorded by reference to the year in which each case was referred to the Crown Prosecution Service by the police, rather than the year in which an offender was charged or convicted.
| Prosecutions | |
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Culture: Exports
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what share of the UK's media exports were provided by the (a) video games, (b) television and (c) film industries in each year since 1997. [196877]
Margaret Hodge: have been asked to reply.
The following table shows the value of UK exports of services for the creative industries provided by the (a) ‘software, computer games and electronic publishing' (b) ‘radio and TV’ and (c) ‘Video, film and photography’ sectors. The share of UK ‘media’ exports is not available, so the share of all ‘creative industries' exports has been provided instead. This share is only shown from 2000 onwards since data for total creative industries exports are not available in earlier years.
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