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2 Apr 2008 : Column 1010W—continued
Departmental Contracts
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contracts were awarded by her Department to (a) KPMG, (b) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) McKinsey, (e) Deloitte and (f) other consultancy firms in each of the last 12 months; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) value was of each of these contracts. [196579]
Jim Fitzpatrick: A table showing the value and the nature of work undertaken by KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst and Young and Deloitte between 1 March 2007 and 29 February 2008 has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
McKinsey has not carried out any work for the Department and its agencies in this 12 month period.
Details of contracts carried out by other consultancy firms in the last 12 months could be provided in response to this question only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Databases
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2008, Official Report, columns 772-3W, on departmental databases, which US-registered service providers have been engaged by her Department and its agencies to manage aspects of personal data; and what types of personal information such service providers have been engaged to manage. [197148]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The following US registered service providers have been engaged by the Department for Transport to manage aspects of personal data—this list only incorporates contracts under which services are still being provided;
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
International Business Machines Corporation is a registered US company with subsidiaries all over the world. The DVLA’s contract is presently with the UK subsidiary, IBM United Kingdom.
DVLA's prime IT service provider is IBM.
As the prime IT service provider, IBM has been engaged to manage all aspects of DVLA IT, including responsibility for DVLA's core driver and vehicle databases which contain UK citizens’ personal information, including names, addresses, dates of birth, disclosed medical conditions (in relation to the driver's ability to drive) and driving licence photographs. All this information is maintained within the UK.
IBM is also supporting the programme to migrate the Department to a shared service centre initially covering the Department's financial and Human Resources back-office functions. This includes personal data for the Department's civil servants and the Department's financial data.
Driving Standards Agency (DSA)
The DSA contracts Pearson Driving Assessments Ltd to provide theory test services. Some of these services involve data processing, which is carried out in
the US by NCS Pearson, Inc., a US registered company in the same corporate group as Pearson Driving Assessments Ltd. These companies manage data on candidates’ personal information (name, address, date of birth, gender), payment information, driver licence number, details of the test taken and the result.
Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)
The MCA has a contract with GroupLink, a US registered company which provides a customer relationship management (CRM) system for part of the MCA. Grouplink managed the migration of the CRM data in 2007 to the new system and currently only provides support for this system without having access to the data which include contact details of MCA customers.
As part of the Communities and Local Government Framework Agreement, which the Department and its agencies call off, some parts of the Department use Iron Mountain, a US registered company, for file storage, retrieval and destruction of registered files. Among these files are standard departmental personnel records, which include:
reports, personal, leave and attendance, medical, conduct and discipline, pay, travel and subsistence, long term detached duty, permanent transfer and secondment files.
Departmental Translation Services
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2008, Official Report, column 442W, on departmental translation services, how much was spent by her Department and its agencies on translation services into (a) Welsh and (b) other languages in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05, (iii) 2005-06, (iv) 2006-07 and (v) 2007-08 to date. [197548]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Highways Agency, and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, do not hold the data in an appropriate format to provide the breakdown requested. The required analysis to obtain the information would incur disproportionate cost, requiring recourse to all the original invoices for the years concerned.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency translated one document into Welsh in 2005, “Stay SAFE at the seaside”, at a cost of £329.
The Vehicle Certification Agency translates the Fuel Consumption booklet into Welsh at an annual cost of approximately £1,000.
As recorded in the answer of 12 March 2008, Official Report, column 442W, data are not available for the Driving Standards Agency for 2003-04 and 2004-05. The expenditure shown for 2005-08 (to end January 2008) is for translating forms and the Highway Code into Welsh.
Departmental Video Conferencing
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will set a target to increase the use of video-conferencing by her Department to reduce the need to travel to meetings. [195887]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport and its agencies use video conferencing (and also teleconferencing) extensively, and already encourage all staff to use the facilities as a first option in preference to travelling, and to save time and travelling expenses. However, it is considered more appropriate and feasible to judge each case on its merits, rather than set specific targets, due to the variable individual circumstances surrounding each meeting.
Driving Tests
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to her Statement of 17 December 2007, Official Report, column 624, on Department for Transport data storage and use, if she will place in the Library a copy of the terms of the contract between the Driving Standards Agency and Pearson Driving Assessments which relate to compliance with UK data protection rules. [176272]
Jim Fitzpatrick: A copy of the terms of the contract between the Driving Standards Agency and Pearson Driving Assessments Limited which relate to compliance with UK data protection rules has been placed in the Library.
Environment Directorate
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the objectives of her Department's Environment Directorate are; what the directorate's performance against those objectives has been in the last six months; and what projects the directorate has undertaken over that period. [197535]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport's (DFT) Environment and International (ENI) Directorate was set up in April 2007.
The Directorate's objectives, as set out in the DFT's business plan for 2007-08, include:
working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and internationally to deliver the joint PSA target for climate change and take forward the Department's strategy for tackling the environmental impact of transport in line with the Stern Review. Sub-objectives include:
improving strategy, planning and the evidence base for climate change policy in DFT
tackling the climate change impacts of transport through putting a price on carbon (tax, trading or regulation);
removing barriers to behaviour change and promoting more environmentally-friendly transport;
promoting technological development and innovation to reduce carbon emissions from transport
working with DEFRA and other stakeholders to deliver the joint Public Service Agreement target for air quality;
influencing international transport negotiations to achieve UK objectives for market liberalisation, improved environmental protection, consumer rights and better regulation. Sub-objectives include ensuring timely and proper implementation of all new EU obligations.
ensuring that the DFT adopts Better Regulation principles and reduces the administrative burdens imposed by transport regulations.
DFT's full business plan is available at
Environment-related projects undertaken by ENI in the past six months have included:
programme management of overall DFT carbon reduction activity (liaising with other parts of DFT including aviation and shipping sections, as well as relevant executive agencies);
contributing to cross-Government development of the Climate Change Bill and analysis of climate change strategy;
developing policy within the EU on mandatory targets for new car CO2 emissions;
developing policy on the use of renewables in transport, in particular in respect of the EU Renewable Energy Directive and the Fuel Quality Directive, and implementing the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation;
supporting the work of H M Treasury in Budget 2008 on cleaner cars and incentives for people to buy them;
progressing the Low Carbon Transport Innovation Strategy, supporting research and development and procurement of low carbon vehicles;
policy development and stakeholder engagement relating to the climate change goal set out in the "Towards a Sustainable Transport System" discussion paper;
contributing to policy development in Europe on air quality, notably through negotiations on EURO VI standards for heavy duty vehicles.
In the past six months, as part of its responsibilities for cross-cutting international matters and for DFT's better regulation work, ENI's work has also included updating the DFT simplification plan, the preparations for European Transport Councils, and wider EU coordination work.
Fuels: Renewable Energy
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the complementarity of the (a) targets and (b) sustainability criteria in the EU Fuel Quality Directive and the EU Renewable Energy Directive. [191811]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The European Commission has proposed a greenhouse gas reduction target for the Fuel Quality Directive which would, in our assessment, need to be met mainly through biofuels, in quantities much greater than would be required by the draft Renewable Energy Directive. In negotiations in the EU, the UK and other member states have made clear that this discrepancy needs to be resolved. The Commission’s proposal for the Fuel Quality Directive does not include sustainability criteria for biofuels, though some have been proposed in the European Parliament. There are different sustainability criteria in the Renewable Energy Directive: again, we and other member states have stressed that it will be essential to have just one set, applying to both directives. In the high-level discussions on this issue the UK will be pressing for these criteria to be as robust and wide-ranging as possible.
Government Car and Dispatch Agency: Expenditure
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Government Car and Dispatch Agency has spent on replacing cars (a) in 2007-08 and (b) since 27 June 2007. [191752]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) has spent £393,956 (excluding VAT) on cars for its fleet so far in 2007-08. Of that, £381,398 has been spent since 27 June 2007. The timing of this expenditure is part of GCDA’s three year rolling programme of capital expenditure that was agreed with the Department for Transport during 2006-07. GCDA replaces approximately one third of its car fleet each year.
Heathrow Airport
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many visits she has made to Heathrow Airport to meet representatives of (a) businesses and the aviation industry and (b) local residents associations affected by Heathrow expansion in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007 and (iii) 2008 to date. [189605]
Jim Fitzpatrick [ h olding answer 27 February 2008]: The Secretary of State, Ministers and Department for Transport officials have met a number of stakeholders in a variety of locations to discuss the Heathrow Consultation. The Department engaged with the local community at a series of dedicated roadshows.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many meetings she has held with (a) BAA, (b) HACAN ClearSkies, (c) 2M group and (d) Future Heathrow Group on Heathrow expansion since her appointment. [193991]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Since July the Secretary of State has held regular meetings at a senior level with BAA. These have covered a range of issues pertinent to BAA airports including Heathrow. Although the Secretary of State has not met HACAN ClearSkies or the 2M group, I have held meetings with these groups since July either individually or as part of meetings with a wider stakeholder attendance. Both myself and the Secretary of State have met with Future Heathrow Group on one occasion since July.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effects of each option for Heathrow expansion as set out in the adding capacity at Heathrow consultation on local public health, with particular reference to (a) air quality, (b) nitrogen oxide emissions and (c) noise pollution; and if she will make a statement. [194042]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Our work has been focused primarily on demonstrating compliance with limits on local air quality pollutants and noise. The former relate to European obligations under Directives whose key objectives are protecting human health. The public health impacts of aviation are considered in the development of our policies. We monitor the continuing research on the effects of noise on human health. In addition we take account of existing guidelines and long-term targets recommended by the World Health Organisation.
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which Minister in her Department approved the consultation document on the third runway at Heathrow. [195183]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 19 March 2008]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State approved the consultation document which was then subject to the collective Cabinet clearance process.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people from each London borough submitted representations to the Heathrow third runway consultation. [195707]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The ‘Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport’ consultation ended on 27 February. We are not yet in a position to provide data on the numbers of responses received or provide any breakdowns.
Heathrow Airport: Health Hazards
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to make a health impact assessment of the proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport. [197030]
Jim Fitzpatrick:
While our principal focus has been on meeting the key noise and local air quality limits, we
plan to update the initial impact assessment incorporated in our recent Heathrow consultation in the light of responses and relevant evidence received. We have made it clear that any proposals for future development would need to be the subject of a full health impact assessment by the airport operator at the planning stage.
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