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6 Oct 2008 : Column 199W—continued
Departmental Pay
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people her Department employs who have an annual salary of over £100,000. [222323]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport employs 44 people with an annual salary of over £100,000.
Departmental Procurement
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will place in the Library the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to her Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the Department’s financial database. [222124]
Jim Fitzpatrick: A table showing the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to the Department for Transport and its agencies in 2007-08 has been placed in the Libraries of the House. This is based on details of purchase orders raised. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Vehicle Certification Agency and the Government Car and Despatch Agency could not provide the information requested without, incurring disproportionate cost.
Departmental Retirement
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2008, Official Report, column 414W, on departmental retirement, how many requests to work beyond the standard retirement age have been received by her Department in each of the last five years. [222431]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The Department has provided details of the number of requests to work beyond the standard retirement age in the last five years where those requests have been agreed and employees have continued to work.
Details of declined requests to work beyond the standard retirement age are currently not available. Declined requests are not recorded in a way that is readily retrievable.
Departmental Television
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 10 July 2008, Official Report, column 1754W, on departmental television, whether staff in her Department’s Ministerial private offices have access to the Sky Sports channel. [222224]
Jim Fitzpatrick: None of the Department for Transport’s ministerial private offices have access to the Sky Sports channel.
Departmental Travel
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether staff of (a) her Department and (b) its agencies who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to (i) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and (ii) benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving. [222119]
Jim Fitzpatrick: All official travel in the Department for Transport and its agencies is carried out in accordance with the requirements of the “Civil Service Management Code” and the departmental or agency staff handbooks.
Staff members who are entitled to first or business class air travel are permitted to travel in a cheaper class, but are not permitted to derive any monetary or other benefit from the consequent saving.
Driving Tests
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many multi-purpose test centres will be operational (a) by 29 September 2008 and (b) in January 2009; [221914]
(2) if she will assess whether the date for implementation of EC Directive 2000/56/EC can be deferred so as to enable the full roll-out of multi-purpose test centres prior to the Directive coming into force. [222030]
Jim Fitzpatrick: 38 multi-purpose test centres were operational on 29 September. A further four multi-purpose test centres will be operational by the end of January 2009.
The Driving Standards Agency has deferred the date for implementation of the EC Directive 2000/56/EC until the end of March 2009.
Driving Under Influence: Accidents
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents have been caused by drivers under the influence of either alcohol or drugs in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) England in the last 12 months. [221896]
Jim Fitzpatrick: In 2006, the latest year available, there were an estimated 8,170 personal injury road accidents involving at least one driver or rider over the legal alcohol limit in England.
In 2007, there were 601 reported personal injury road accidents with ‘impairment by drugs (illicit or medicinal)’ as a contributory factor in England.
The information requested is not available at constituency or local authority level.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many deaths were caused by drivers under the influence of (a) alcohol and (b) prohibited drugs in each of the last 10 years. [221924]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The numbers of fatalities resulting from reported personal injury road accidents involving at least one driver or rider over the legal alcohol limit in 1998 to 2007 in Great Britain are shown in the table.
| Number of fatalities | |
| (1) Provisional data. The sample of fatality data from Coroners for 2006 has now been finalised but 2007 estimates are based on a reduced sample of coroners' returns. They remain provisional until more complete information for 2007 is available. | |
This information is also available in table A of '2007 estimates for accidents involving illegal alcohol levels', available at
The numbers of fatalities resulting from reported personal injury road accidents involving at least one driver/rider with impairment by drugs (illicit or medicinal) as a contributory factor for 2005 to 2007 in Great Britain are shown in the table.
| F atalities in accidents involving impairment by drugs | |
| Number | |
Information on contributory factors is not available prior to 2005.
The contributory factor "impairment by drugs" applies to prohibited drugs as well as all medicines, whether prescription or 'over the counter'. It is not possible to separate the factor into prohibited and medicinal drugs.
The drug factor is recorded in accidents in which the police officer's opinion at the time of reporting is that the driver/rider was affected by drugs and behaved in a way which caused, or contributed to, the accident. This may not be the result of a drug screening test.
Driving: Mobile Phones
Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent comparative research has been (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated by her Department on the effect of using (i) hands-free mobile telephones and (ii) hand-held mobile telephones while driving, on (A) driver reaction times and (B) accident rates. [222259]
Jim Fitzpatrick: None. However, the Department is aware of research undertaken elsewhere that shows the dangers of using mobile phones while driving. For example, a study for Direct Line Motor Insurance, published in 2002 and undertaken by TRL Ltd., demonstrated the effect on driver reaction times of using both hand-held and hands-free phones, adversely comparing that to the effect on a driver’s reaction times while impaired through alcohol.
East London Line
Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has held with the Mayor of London on the completion of phase two of the East London line extension. [223968]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer of 10 September 2008, Official Report, columns 2003-4W.
East London Line: Finance
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she plans to authorise the release of the funds for the phase 2 extension of the East London line. [224181]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The East London line extension is a TfL project. At the end of last year we agreed a generous a long term funding settlement with Transport for London (TfL). This gives TfL and London's Mayor the ability to set their own priorities and deliver a wide range of improvements to London's transport network. In this context, it is a matter for TfL and the Mayor to decide on the funding of this £100 million phase 2 extension of the East London line.
EDF Energy
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contracts (a) her Department and (b) its agencies have with EDF; and how much (i) her Department and (ii) its agencies paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment. [221836]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport and a number of its agencies make use of the Office of Government Commerce Buying Solutions framework Energy: Over 100 Electricity for the supply of electricity. Payments are made directly to EDF companies under these framework arrangements for the supply of electricity and related services. There are a small number of additional contracts for energy supply.
The Highways Agency makes payments direct to EDF companies in relation to maintenance and management of the strategic road network in the east and south-east of England, These payments include ones to EDF as a “statutory undertaker” under the provisions of the New Roads and Street Works Act
1991. These occur when it is necessary for EDF to move their apparatus, e.g. cables or other equipment that are in or associated with the highway, to allow the agency to carryout building or maintenance works. The 1991 Act sets out the arrangements for these payments.
The Vehicle Operator and Services Agency has made payments to EDF companies in respect of the provision and maintenance of services.
The Department was formed in May 2002. The following table shows the total value of recorded payments (where information is available) made to EDF since this date. Omitted information and details of the specific purpose of spend could be provided at only disproportionate cost.
| Department for Transport Spend with EDF | ||||||
| 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |
| (1) Includes spend relating to highway building and maintenance activity. (2) Includes spend relating to provision and maintenance of pipelines. (3) For the calendar year. | ||||||
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