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28 Apr 2008 : Column 36W—continued
Roads: Yorkshire and Humberside
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the damage caused to the highway network in the East Riding of Yorkshire as a result of flooding in 2007; and what additional sum is to be paid to the East Riding of Yorkshire council to compensate for the damage. [201290]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In January 2008 East Riding of Yorkshire council submitted a claim to my Department for funding of £6.095 million to repair damage to their roads caused by flooding in 2007. The authority received an interim settlement in March in respect of £2.25 million. This covered £1.087 million funding to the authority to cover the costs identified and supported by evidence and a local contribution of £1.163 million representing 15 per cent. of their 2007-08 Local Transport Plan capital highway maintenance allocation.
Discussions have been held with the authority regarding the evidence they need to provide to support the remaining £3.845 million costs in their claim. The Department will consider whether further funding should be paid to the authority in the light of further evidence.
Schools: Transport
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will extend the requirement to wear seat belts to include buses used to transport pupils to school in vehicles hired from or operated by bus companies and local authorities. [202095]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport is presently considering responses to its consultation on regulations to require children under 14 years of age to use seat belts in buses and coaches where they are fitted. There are no plans for legislation to require that all vehicles used for school transport must have seat belts fitted—that can already be achieved by school authorities for contracted vehicles.
Severn Bridge: Tolls
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Severn Bridges Act 1992 to allow tolls for Severn Bridge crossings to be paid by credit and debit cards. [201341]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 24 April 2008]: We want it to be as convenient as possible for people to pay tolls at the Severn Crossing. But there are some practical obstacles to this and a working group has been set up to look at solving these.
Further consideration will be given once the working group have submitted their findings and recommendations. This is expected to be by early autumn.
Traffic Commissioners: Redundancy
Mr. Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many traffic commissioners were dismissed in each of the last 30 years. [202218]
Jim Fitzpatrick: We do not have this information for the period before 1990. Since 1990 no traffic commissioners have been dismissed.
Transport: EU Action
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Trans-European transport networks will cost; and what the UK's contribution will be. [200525]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The 2007 TEN Financing Regulation estimates the cost of completing the Trans-European transport network between 2007 and 2020 will be €600 billion. This includes investment from both public and private sources, as well as public-private partnerships.
There is no specific UK contribution to the programme. The UK makes its contributions to the EC budget as a whole and not to individual spending programmes within it.
Transport: Finance
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to ensure that regional transport funding is distributed on an equitable basis. [195370]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to his question of 12 March 2008, Official Report, column 448W.
We have already increased investment in transport in all regions. By 2008, transport spending will be 80 per cent. higher in real terms than in 1997, and we will continue to take account of the needs of all regions in making investment decisions.
The introduction of regional funding allocations has allowed regions to align these increased funding levels to their key priorities and needs, delivering the best outcome for each region.
Work and Pensions
Access to Work Scheme: Marketing
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department is doing to publicise Access to Work. [200783]
Mr. Timms: The Access to Work national delivery team is currently implementing an internal marketing strategy to ensure that all Jobcentre staff involved with disabled customers are fully briefed on the Access to Work programme. This will cover the aims of the programme, eligibility criteria and the application process.
The programme is also being promoted through presentations and exhibitions, and through close working partnerships developed with the major disability groups such as the Royal National Institute for Blind people, Royal National Institute for Deaf people and MIND.
Articles have appeared in external publications such as ‘Disability Wales’ and the National Spinal Association magazine illustrating how Access to Work can practically support disabled people into paid employment. Additionally, Jobcentre Plus includes information on Access to Work in internally produced magazines such as ‘Inspire’. This magazine, which is targeted at job seekers, is available, along with other leaflets on Access to Work, in all Jobcentre Plus offices. The magazine ‘Engage’, also produced by Jobcentre Plus and aimed at employers, regularly carries information about Access to Work, along with other Jobcentre Plus services.
Information about Access to Work is available on the Jobcentre Plus and Directgov websites. Directgov as a source of information about Jobcentre Plus services for disabled people is widely publicised, for example, in the latest issue of ‘Ability Needs’ magazine. Disability employment advisers, who are often the gateway to Access to Work, are regularly in contact with small to medium sized employers locally and will raise awareness of Access to Work when appropriate.
Apprentices: Construction
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of applications for apprenticeships in the construction industry in each year since 1997; and how many places were available in each of those years. [201038]
Mr. Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
Information about the number of people applying for apprenticeships is not collected or held centrally. Information about the number of people starting apprenticeships in the construction industry is provided in the following table. Figures for years prior to 2002-03 are not available.
| Construction apprenticeships starts 2002-03 to 2006-07 | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Includes all age groups and both apprenticeships and advanced apprenticeships. 2. Figures include engineering construction and construction; framework codes 107 and 116. Source: Work Based Learning Individualised Learner Record. | |
Departmental Leaflets
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of his Department's public information leaflets are available online on (a) his Department's and (b) the Directgov website. [195772]
Mrs. McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions public information leaflets are mainly published through its agencies' websites (Jobcentre Plus, Child Support Agency and The Pension Service) and the DWP website links to these. Of the 66 Public Information leaflets produced by the Department 57 are currently available. A further nine are due to be published shortly and these will replace other leaflets currently on the sites.
Directgov does not hold leaflets on its site but incorporates information into its core pages or has external links to customer leaflets and information stored on other websites—DWP, Inland Revenue, Jobcentre Plus, Veterans Agency, HMRC, CSA, Department of Health, Pensions Service et al. Directgov also links to welsh versions of leaflets with links to English versions of leaflets where the Welsh version is not available.
Departmental Manpower
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of his Department's work force were employed in each region in each year since 2004. [200465]
Mrs. McGuire: Details of how many and what proportion of the Department's work force was employed in each region in each year ending 31 March, since 31 March 2004 is set out in the following tables:
| Period ending March 2004 | Total FTE( 1) | Proportion of Department (percentage) |
| (1)FTE figures and percentages may not sum due to rounding | ||
| Period ending March 2005 | Total FTE( 1) | Proportion of Department (percentage) |
| (1)FTE figures and percentages may not sum due to rounding | ||
| Period ending March 2006 | Total FTE( 1) | Proportion of Department (percentage) |
| (1)FTE figures and percentages may not sum due to rounding | ||
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