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20 May 2008 : Column 184W—continued
None of the meetings was attended by a Minister.
Airports: Security Guards
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will impose a three-year residency requirement for foreign nationals seeking employment as security workers at UK airports. [206680]
Jim Fitzpatrick: We announced in December 2007 that the Government have commissioned an independent review, led by Stephen Boys Smith, into the current arrangements for pre-employment checks in the transport industry. The review is looking at the arrangements regarding foreign nationals working at UK airports and will report to Ministers in the summer.
Aviation: Noise
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if she will make it her policy to seek to limit and reduce the impact of aircraft noise on (a) National Parks and (b) Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty; and if she will make a statement; [205238]
(2) what assessment her Department has made of the effect on (a) National Parks and (b) Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty of (i) current and (ii)
projected patterns of aircraft noise; and if she will make a statement; [205239]
(3) what steps she has taken to rural-proof her Department’s policy on aircraft noise. [205240]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is responsible for approving the use of UK airspace, as part of its role to develop and enforce a policy for the sustainable use of that airspace. The process for making changes to airspace is governed by the CAA’s Airspace Change Process under which it is for airspace change sponsors, such as NATS, to develop proposals and then consult on them.
The Secretary of State for Transport has issued Directions (2001) to the CAA requiring it to take into account the need to reduce, control and mitigate as far as possible the environmental impacts of civil aircraft operations. Supporting Guidance (2002) encourages the CAA, as far as possible to avoid routes below 7,000 ft over built-up areas and to pursue policies that help to preserve the tranquillity of the countryside, such as avoiding overflight of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, where this does not add to the environmental burdens on more densely populated areas.
The Directions and Guidance are on the Department for Transport’s website:
Cycling
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures are in place to encourage an increase in the number of people taking the national standards for cycle training. [206772]
Ms Rosie Winterton: We announced in March this year grants of over £3 million to local authorities to train an additional 80,000 children to the national standard. We are also making available £1 million for direct cycle training grants to schools through the School Sports Partnerships. This will provide funds for around a further 25,000 children to receive national standard training.
This builds on the 46,000 children for whom we have already funded training via local authorities and School Sports Partnerships.
Further grants will be made available, through Cycling England over the next few years to achieve our target of providing cycle training for 500,000 children by 2012.
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in meeting the Government’s national cycling strategy objective to increase cycle journeys to eight per cent. of journeys by 2012. [206773]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The White Paper on the Future of Transport (CM 6324) published in July 2004 announced a move away from the “one size fits all” national target towards working closely with individual local authorities to put in place sharper, more focused, local plans and targets for walking and cycling.
We announced in January a six fold increase in Cycling England’s budget to £140 million over the next three years to work with local authorities and others to increase cycling.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many receptions she has hosted and funded in her capacity as Secretary of State in the last 12 months; which individuals and organisations (a) were invited to and (b) attended each reception; and what the cost was of each reception. [203853]
Jim Fitzpatrick: We will publish, in due course, an annual list providing information relating to official receptions hosted by Ministers in the Department in the course of the previous financial year.
Departmental Public Participation
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department spent on (a) written consultations, (b) consultation roadshows and (c) stakeholder focus groups in each of the last three years. [205844]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Consultation exercises form an integral part of policymaking and as such are funded from policy teams' budgets rather than from a consultation budget, and so a total cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Standards
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what projects sponsored by her Department were subject to Gateway reviews in each of the last four years; what status each project was assigned under such reviews; how much her Department spent on Gateway reviews in each such year; and if she will make a statement. [205867]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 15 May 2008]: There are three types of Gateway reviews: high, medium and low risk. Some of these reviews are organised and recorded centrally and information about these is provided in a table, which has been placed in the Libraries of the House. Other reviews are delivered and recorded locally and information about these could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Gateway reports, including the findings and status, are conducted on a confidential basis for Senior Responsible Owners (SROs). We do not make this information routinely public.
A key principle of Gateway reviews is that they are cost-neutral. However, where there is a shortfall in civil service Gateway reviewers, suitably accredited external resource may be used. The Department has spent around £115,000 per annum in this way.
Maritime and Coastguard Agency: Industrial Action
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what involvement the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has in civil contingency planning; and what impact the industrial action by agency staff has had on civil contingency plans. [206782]
Jim Fitzpatrick:
As a Category 1 responder under the terms of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) co-operates
and shares information with other responders, planning to prevent and respond to emergencies, planning for business continuity and warning and informing the public in the event of an emergency. This is mostly achieved by engaging with local resilience fora.
The importance of civil contingencies planning has been recognised by the MCA within its revised management structure and has been given additional resources.
The MCA is not aware of any instance where staff have withdrawn from civil contingencies planning activities in the last 12 months as a result of industrial action.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have withdrawn from civil contingencies planning activities as a result of industrial action in the last 12 months. [206582]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The MCA is not aware of any instance where staff have withdrawn from civil contingencies planning activities in the last 12 months as a result of industrial action.
Maritime and Coastguard Agency: Manpower
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff joined the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in each year since 1997; and how many left the Agency in each of these years, broken down by reason for ending employment. [206713]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Information is available only for 2003 onwards.
The number of starters at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, by year, is shown in the following table:
| Starters | |
Exit questionnaires for leavers are not compulsory and have been used only since 2004. The number of leavers, by year, with primary reason for leaving is shown in the following table:
| Primary exit reason | Total | |
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