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6 Oct 2008 : Column 194W—continued
The central oil assumptions are assumed to move in line with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform central oil projection, which falls from about $65 per barrel in 2006 to $53 per barrel in 2030.
As part of the sensitivity testing, the oil price test varies the projection of oil within the BERR oil price projection range ($25 per barrel to $80 per barrel by 2030) at (base year) 2004 prices.
‘Meeting the Energy Challenge: A White Paper on Energy’, BERR, Cm 7124, Annex B Table B5 for central assumptions.
‘Update Energy and Carbon and Emissions Projections (Energy White Paper Supporting Document)’, BERR, May 2007, Annex B, URN 07/947
Biofuels
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps the Government have taken to encourage greater global usage of sustainable biofuels. [224284]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The UK is seeking to ensure that biofuels used both inside and outside of the UK are sustainable. We have developed a world class carbon and sustainability reporting system under the UK's Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation. This requires suppliers to provide reports containing information about the environmental performance of the biofuels they supply. We are working within Europe to ensure that the proposed sustainability criteria under the draft Renewable Energy Directive are made as robust as possible. We are also working with the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) to develop an internationally recognised lifecycle greenhouse gas methodology for biofuels.
In response to widespread concerns about the indirect impacts of biofuel production the Government asked Professor Gallagher of the Renewable Fuels Agency to carry out a review of the wider sustainability impacts of biofuels. The review involved a number of international experts and examined the impacts of biofuel production at a global level. This review was published in July 2008 and has been disseminated widely. Following the review we are seeking for indirect impacts to be included in the EU's mandatory sustainability criteria.
Bus Services: Pensioners
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pensioners have applied for free national bus passes in (a) Bolton and (b) England. [222624]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport is not responsible for issuing passes and so does not maintain records of how many applications for passes individual authorities have received. Bolton is part of Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive and the latest figures held by the Department show that as of June 2008 GMPTE had issued approximately 387,000 concessionary passes to both elderly and disabled people.
As of August 2008, approximately 7.1 million Integrated Transport Smartcard Operation concessionary smartcard passes have been issued and approximately 900,000 London Freedom Passes have been re-stickered for national use. We cannot currently break down the figure by disabled and elderly passes, but reporting systems are being set up to allow us to do so in the future.
Coventry Airport
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government has taken to increase passenger numbers at Coventry Airport; and if she will make a statement. [221831]
Jim Fitzpatrick: It is for airport owners and operators to bring forward proposals for development in the normal way, through the statutory land use planning system.
The White Paper “The Future of Air Transport” does not itself authorise or preclude any particular development, but sets out a policy framework that will guide decisions on planning decisions.
Departmental Carbon Emissions
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 14 July 2008, Official Report, column 27W, on carbon emissions: Government departments, how much air mileage incurred through departmental travel was used to calculate the departmental payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in each year that her Department has participated in the fund, broken down by (a) domestic, (b) short-haul and (c) long-haul flights. [222121]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport has made one contribution to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund for financial year 2006-07. For that year flights were broken down only into short haul and long haul. The Department’s contribution related to 1,647,309 miles of short haul travel, and 1,585,631 miles long haul, a total of 3,232,939 miles.
Departmental Data Protection
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what types of data have been sold by (a) her Department and (b) its agencies under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months. [222120]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Core information produced by the Department for Transport and its Executive agencies can be re-used free of charge under the terms of the Public Sector Information Click-Use Licence, which is administered by the Office of Public Sector Information in accordance with the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations.
The DFTs Executive agencies have, sold the following data under PSI regulations in the last 12 months:
DSA has sold mailing list data of approved and trainee driving instructors, with their consent, to mailing houses.
DVLA has sold two types of non-personalised vehicle data sets to contracted businesses related to statistical, lifestyle analysis and HPI vehicle checking.
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many applications (a) her Department and (b) its agencies have made under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to (i) undertake directed surveillance, (ii) use covert human intelligence sources, (iii) acquire communications data and (iv) undertake intrusive surveillance in the last 24 months. [222125]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport includes seven executive Agencies and a Shared Service Centre. The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (‘RIPA’) and legislation made under it has enabled the Department to undertake direct surveillance, use covert human intelligence sources and acquire communications data.
Figures on public authority use of covert techniques controlled by RIPA are published annually by the Interception of Communications Commissioner, the Chief Surveillance Commissioner and the Intelligence Services Commissioner who each have particular inspection and oversight responsibilities under RIPA. The latest, reports were laid before Parliament and copies placed in the Libraries of the House on 22 July. The figures provided in the reports are not broken down by individual public authority use of specific covert technique as, depending on the particular technique and authority using it, this could either reveal sensitivities or be misleading. The question of further disclosure for any particular public authority is a matter for the relevant Commissioner.
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many notifications (a) her Department and (b) its agencies made to the Information Commissioner following the loss or mishandling of personal information or data in each of the last three years; and what was notified in each case. [222902]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport has published details of the personal data related incidents notified to the Information Commissioner's Office in 2007-08 in its resource accounts published on 17 July 2008.
Before November 2007 the Information Commissioner's Office did not specifically keep records of instances of security breaches.
I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 25 June 2008, providing the final report on measures for data handling procedures in Government.
Departmental Databases
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what use (a) her Department and (b) its agencies make of (i) MOSAIC data and (ii) ACORN data. [222117]
Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in her Department were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach. [223047]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport's five most serious disciplinary cases in the past 12 months involved cases of fraud and inappropriate use of IT equipment. These were considered as acts of gross misconduct and the usual penalty for this is dismissal which applied in these cases.
Departmental Home Working
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2008, Official Report, column 919W, on departmental home working, if she will make it her policy to collate and maintain central records of home working by her Department’s staff. [222539]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport does not keep central records of staff who are home workers at present.
When all business areas of the Department for Transport has fully migrated to a shared service centre, the information will be collated and maintained centrally.
Departmental Mobile Phones
Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department spent on mobile telephones in each year since 1997. [222260]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport was formed in May 2002 and the available data for each full year after 2002-03 is set out in the following table.
| £000 | ||||||
| 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |
The costs shown for the central Department and agencies except for MCA are in respect of all costs associated with mobile phone provision and use. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency costs are for line rental only, other costs could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Data for 2002-03 is not available from The Driving Standards Agency because of a change to their finance system or for the Vechicle and Operator Services Agency because this agency was only formed on 1 April 2003.
Departmental Offices
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the location is of each office occupied by (a) her Department and (b) each of its agencies which has been (i) newly occupied and (ii) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each. [222126]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is as follows:
(a) Nil.
(b) The requested information is provided in the following table.
| Property | Area (square metres) |
Departmental Official Residences
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in her Department; how many residential dwellings are provided; where they are located; and for what grade of civil servant they are provided. [222118]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport provides individual residential accommodation for six Vehicle Certification Agency staff based overseas as follows:
United States of America. Accommodation provided for a Pay Band 6, Pay Band 5 and a Pay Band 4.
Japan. Accommodation provided for a Pay Band 6 and for two Pay Band 4s.
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