Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 17 June 2008
Scotland
Departmental Training
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on training courses for staff in the last (a) 12 months and (b) five years. [210569]
David Cairns: The staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice; both Departments provide access to training and development opportunities. The office incurred the following direct expenditure:
| £ | |
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what training courses were (a) available to and (b) taken up by civil servants in his Department in the last 12 months. [210584]
David Cairns: The Scotland Office encourages all staff to undertake learning and development activities. The majority of opportunities are provided through the Scottish Executive and the Ministry of Justice; but where the training need is still not available within central Government, external training courses may be considered.
The Office does not maintain a central record of all training courses attended by staff.
Transport
Aviation
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the potential impact of the National Air Traffic Services proposals on air space changes on the British thoroughbred breeding industry. [210936]
Jim Fitzpatrick: It is not for the Secretary of State for Transport to discuss airspace change proposals which are subject to consultation.
Airspace planning and regulation is the responsibility of the independent Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The process for making changes to airspace is governed by the CAA's airspace change process. Under this process it is for airspace change sponsors, for example NATS, to develop and consult upon proposals. Detailed guidance is given on what impacts are to be taken into account, how they should be measured and who should be
consulted. Informed by the consultation, the sponsor submits the proposal to the CAA's directorate of airspace policy for assessment against regulatory requirements. In determining whether to accept or reject a proposal, the CAA's process reflects the Secretary of State's directions and guidance to the CAA on the exercise of its statutory duties and environmental objectives.
Aviation: Exhaust Emissions
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research has been (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned by her Department on the environmental effects of gases discharged from aircraft engines. [210896]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport funds work on aviation related climate change research at Manchester metropolitan university worth about £350,000 per annum. This includes collaborative domestic and international projects on the climate science of aviation emissions and co-leading a major international workshop to assess aviation's environmental impacts.
The Government are supporting project OMEGA, a grouping of seven universities, co-ordinating UK research and dissemination of a wide range of aviation environmental issues in partnership with stakeholders.
The Department also supports a PhD studentship at Oxford university investigating the microphysics and aviation induced cirrus cloud.
Aviation: Health
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what issues have been considered by the Aviation Health Working Group since its inception in March 2001; and if she will make a statement. [206137]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Aviation Health Working Group (AHWG) has considered a wide range of subjects, in varying detail, since its inception. These include: Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), cabin air quality, medical equipment on board aircraft, toilet facilities, flying when pregnant, cockpit light levels, seat pitch, cosmic radiation, aircraft filtration and fitness to fly travel advice. Notes of the relevant meetings are available on the Department for Transport website.
The AHWG, through the Department for Transport, co-funded the Wright research project into DVT with the World Health Organisation and European Commission, and has commissioned research in cabin air “fume events” which is currently under way. The House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology said in 2007:
“in general the AHWG has been well received by the industry, unions the regulatory authorities and passenger representatives".
Biofuels
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her Department's projections of UK biofuel consumption in millions of litres are for (a) 2008, (b) 2009 and (c) 2010. [208502]
Jim Fitzpatrick:
The renewable transport fuel obligation (RTFO) came into effect on 15 April 2008. In simple terms, it requires suppliers of fossil-based road transport
fuels in the UK to ensure that a specified percentage of their total road transport fuel sales are made up of renewable transport fuels. The level of the RTFO is 2.5 per cent. in 2008-09, and this is due to rise to 3.75 per cent. in 2009-10 and 5 per cent. in 2010-11.
In broad terms, it is likely to equate to around 1.25 billion litres of biofuel being consumed in the year from 15 April 2008 to 14 April 2009, rising to around 1.9 billion litres in 2009-10 and around 2.5 billion litres in 2010-11.
The Renewable Fuels Agency will be publishing details of UK biofuel sales on a regular basis via its website at
Monthly data in respect of all UK road transport fuel sales are also available via the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the effect of global food price rises on the Government's biofuels policy. [211982]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government take very seriously concerns over rising global food prices. A large number of factors, including biofuel demand, may be contributing to the situation. The Secretary of State for Transport has asked Professor Ed Gallagher, Chairman of the Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA), to lead a review into the indirect effects of biofuels production, including on global commodity and food prices. It is due to report at the end of June. The review's findings will inform the development of the Government's biofuel policies and targets.
Further details are available on the RFA's website at:
Heathrow Airport: Security
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times she has asked (a) BA and (b) BAA for a report on security at Heathrow Terminal 5 in the last 12 months. [209267]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport works closely with industry to ensure that security measures set out on the National Aviation Security Programme are delivered. The Department monitors the level of compliance through its inspectors who undertake announced and unannounced inspections and audits, and seek corrective action from industry where appropriate. We have worked particularly intensively with BA and BAA at Heathrow both prior to and since the opening of T5.
Liverpool Street-Chelmsford Railway Line
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department has had discussions with National Express on measures to reduce congestion on the Liverpool Street to Chelmsford line. [211244]
Mr. Tom Harris:
Following the publication of the White Paper, and as part of the intention to introduce additional capacity across the network, I can confirm
that discussions have been held with National Express East Anglia (NXEA), Network Rail and the Department for Transport and that NXEA is developing the detail of its proposals for further discussion with the department.
Lorries: Licensing
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which operators of heavy goods vehicles registered outside the UK were issued with prohibition notices by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency for (a) mechanical defects, (b) drivers' hours offences and (c) overloading in (i) 2004-05, (ii) 2005-06 and (iii) 2006-07, broken down by country of registration; and if she will make a statement. [211497]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Motor Vehicles: Foreigners
Mr. Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many foreign-registered (a) cars, (b) vans and (c) heavy goods vehicles have been found unroadworthy after entering the UK in each of the last three years; [210732]
(2) how many foreign (a) cars, (b) vans and (c) heavy goods vehicles were prevented from entering the UK because the vehicle was not roadworthy in each of the last three years. [210733]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of foreign vehicles found by our Vehicle and Operator Services Agency to be unroadworthy were:
| Financial year | LGV | HGV (including trailers) |
| Note: The figures for cars and vans are not recorded separately and the figures for Light Goods Vehicles (LGV) include cars, vans, caravans and motorbikes). | ||
Our understanding is that the police do not keep a central record of the nationality or country of residence of offenders, and so there are no statistics available relating to foreign vehicle offences which they process.
No vehicle will have been prevented from entering the UK because it was unroadworthy. What happens—irrespective of the location—is that a dangerous vehicle is simply prohibited from further use until the defects have been rectified.
Newcastle Airport
Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the projected change in numbers of flights (a) to and (b) from Newcastle Airport by 2018 is; what percentage of flights through Newcastle Airport were domestic in the latest period for which figures are available; and what percentage she expects to be domestic in 2018. [211342]
Jim Fitzpatrick: CAA's airport statistics show that the domestic share of terminal passengers at Newcastle in 2007 was 30 per cent.
The most recent Department for Transport forecasts of passenger demand at UK airports were reported in 'UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts', November 2007, available at:
Table G5 shows the central forecast of terminal passengers at Newcastle airport in 2015 and 2030, split between domestic, short-haul, and long-haul, along with outturn for 2005. Owing to the tolerance with which the iterative forecasting model works, detailed results are rounded and presented at no less than five-yearly intervals. These are repeated in the following table.
| Passenger demand at Newcastle airport, millions of passengers per annum | ||||
| Domestic | Short Haul | Long Haul | Total | |
Newly Qualified Drivers Bill
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what files are held by her Department on the Newly Qualified Drivers Bill of Session 1993-94; and if she will make a statement. [210527]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport's records for the period in question do not show files specifically relating to this Private Member's Bill. Papers may be included in general policy files from that period, which could be established at only disproportionate cost.
Railways
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what regulations govern the advertisement of rail services by train operating companies prior to the grant of regulatory approval for these services. [210926]
Mr. Tom Harris: There are no specific regulations that govern the advertising of rail services by train operating companies prior to the grant of regulatory approval for their services. Such advertising is regulated by the normal law on consumer protection.
Railways: Greater London
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with (a) the Association of Train Operating Companies and (b) Transport for London in the last 12 months in relation to the re-zoning of overground train stations in Greater London; and if she will make a statement. [209916]
Mr. Tom Harris: Ministers and officials in the Department have regular discussions with the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and Transport for London on London issues.
In the last 12 months there has been one item of correspondence with ATOC on station re-zoning. This was to agree to move three stations: Hampstead Heath from zone 3 to zone 2, Acton Central from zone 2 to zone 3 and Willesden Junction from zone 3 to the boundary of zone 2 and 3. These stations are all served by the London Overground Rail Concession.
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