Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 14 January 2009
Scotland
Departmental Air Travel
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many journeys (a) he and his predecessors and (b) his officials made by aeroplane in the course of their duties in each of the last five years. [246670]
Ann McKechin: The number of aeroplane journeys undertaken by Scotland Office Ministers and officials, in the course of their duties, is shown in the following table.
| 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |
A return journey is classed as one journey; if, for example, the outward leg of a journey is undertaken by air and the return by train, this is shown as half a journey. Figures are not available for years prior to 2004-05.
Travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the “Ministerial Code” and the “Civil Service Management Code” respectively.
Departmental Energy
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps his Department is taking to reduce the amount of energy it wastes. [244601]
Ann McKechin: The Government’s Delivery Plan for “Sustainable Procurement and Operations on the Government Estate”, published in August 2008, provides a full account of the initiatives Departments are taking to reduce their energy waste. The Government have committed to updating the Delivery Plan on a six- monthly basis, and the first of these updates was published on 18 December 2008.
Departmental Internet
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent maintaining its website in each of the last five years. [245495]
Ann McKechin: Figures are only available for the period during which the current Scotland Office website has been in existence. The figure for 2004-05 includes the initial cost of designing and building the site.
| Financial year | Cost (£) |
Church Commissioners
Paid Posts
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2008, Official Report, column 201W, on paid posts, for what reason the posts of Secretary to the Church Commissioners and Chief Financial Officer are reserved for practising Christians. [247500]
Sir Stuart Bell: Both post holders have particular responsibilities for maintaining the Christian ethos of their organisations as well as representing the Church to others in society. Current discrimination legislation allows religious organisations to restrict appointment to Christians or Anglicans in those circumstances.
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2008, Official Report, column 201W, on paid posts, whether the post of (a) Secretary to the Church Commissioners and (b) Chief Financial Officer could be filled by a practising Roman Catholic. [247501]
Sir Stuart Bell: The Chief Financial Officer has a responsibility to help maintain the Christian ethos of the National Church Institutions and this post could be filled by a Roman Catholic or a person from any other Christian denomination.
The Secretary to the Church Commissioners has a particular responsibility for representing the Church of England and maintaining its ethos within the Commissioners and, as such, appointments have been restricted to Anglicans in the past.
Energy and Climate Change
Biofuels
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what percentage of the fuel used at Drax power station was (a) tar sands, (b) shale and (c) other oils in the last period for which figures are available. [247043]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department does not collect fuel usage data at this level of detail. Furthermore, the Department has given an undertaking that any fuel usage data that is collected from individual generators is used only for the purpose of producing aggregate statistics—company level data may be commercially sensitive and thus cannot be released.
Mining: Horses
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many ponies are working in mining enterprises. [247512]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Certain coal mining museums may keep ponies to illustrate their former role, but they are not employed in any underground capacity, nor are any ponies known to be working in other coal mining enterprises.
Renewable Energy: Expenditure
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department and its predecessors have spent on the development of (a) renewable fuels and (b) clean engines in the last three years. [245868]
Mr. Simon: I have been asked to reply.
The Department's expenditure in these areas falls to the Research Councils and the Technology Strategy Board.
Research Councils’ total expenditure on bioenergy (including biofuels and biomass) and clean engines was £8.45 million and £1.65 million respectively for the years 2005-08.
Technology Strategy Board’s total expenditure on collaborative R and D projects in the areas of bioenergy and clean engines was £2.98 million and £1.64 million respectively for the years 2005-08.
Warm Front Scheme
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many claims for assistance made through the Warm Front scheme are outstanding. [246876]
Joan Ruddock: The current number of applications outstanding is 106,179. Each of these applications are at very different stages and will be eligible for a range of measures. Some customers are awaiting survey, others are awaiting work to be installed and others have an outstanding contribution to make to the cost of the work.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much public expenditure was incurred in respect of (a) Greatrex Associates, (b) Paul Sullivan Snooker and Pool, (c) Coffee Republic, (d) Bristol and District Retirement Council, (e) Cherubs Floral Design Ltd. and (f) Total Horsemanship Ltd in 2007-08; and for what purpose in each case. [240843]
Huw Irranca-Davies [holding answer 8 December 2008] : From information held centrally, the core-Department's financial system records the following expenditure incurred with the businesses listed:
| Name | Purpose | Expenditure (£) |
Flood Control
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many local authorities have published schedules of works for maintenance of (a) rural rivers and (b) coastal areas at risk of flooding; and when each such schedule was published. [246110]
Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA does not currently collate information published by local authorities regarding the maintenance of river and coastal defences.
The Pitt review recommended that schedules should be published for each local authority area. The Government support this recommendation and the Environment Agency will publish information on planned maintenance, after consulting regional flood defence committees and other local stakeholders, from 2009-10.
Culture, Media and Sport
Departmental Data Protection
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many members of staff in his Department have been (a) investigated, (b) suspended and (c) dismissed for losing (i) memory sticks, (ii) laptop computers, (iii) desktop computers and (iv) mobile telephones belonging to his Department in each year since 1997. [248246]
Mr. Sutcliffe: In the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, no members of staff have been (a) investigated, (b) suspended and (c) dismissed for losing (i) memory sticks, (ii) laptop computers, (iii) desktop computers and (iv) mobile telephones in each year since 1997.
Sports: Public Participation
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of people (a) under and (b) over 16 years who participated in at least one active sport in the last four weeks in each year for which figures are available. [247575]
Mr. Sutcliffe:
The ‘Taking Part’ survey is a continuous household survey providing national data on participation in culture, leisure and sport by adults aged 16 and over.
In those households containing at least one child aged 11 to 15, an interview is also conducted with a randomly selected child.
The following tables show the percentage and number of children and adults who participated in active sport in the past four weeks.
| Table 1: Participation in active sport by children aged 11-15 | ||
| Percentage | Population ( Thousand ) | |
| Note: Fieldwork for the child element began in January 2006 and runs on a January to December cycle. | ||
| Table 2: Participation in active sport by adults aged 16 and over | ||
| Percentage | Population ( Thousand ) | |
| Note: Fieldwork for the main adult survey began in July 2005 and runs on a July to June cycle. | ||
Leader of the House
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Leader of the House what expert advisers have been commissioned by her Office since 1997; on what topic each was commissioned; and whether the adviser so appointed made a declaration of political activity in each case. [246960]
Chris Bryant: Since May 2007 there have been no expert advisers commissioned by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House. Information prior to 2007 can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The Government are committed to publishing an annual list detailing the number and costs of special advisers. Information for 2007-08 was published by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 22 July 2008, Official Report, columns 99-102WS.
Transport
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what expert advisers have been commissioned by his Department and its agencies since 1997; on what topic each was commissioned; and whether the adviser so appointed made a declaration of political activity in each case. [246961]
Mr. Hoon: The information requested is not held centrally and to compile a list would incur disproportionate cost.
The Department publishes on its website details of appointments to the public bodies which it sponsors.
Since 2003, the Government have published an annual list detailing the number and costs of special advisers. Information for 2007-08 was published by the Prime Minister on 22 July 2008, Official Report, columns 99-102W.
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