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2 Mar 2009 : Column 1267W—continued
Swimming Pools
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public swimming pools have closed in each of the last five years. [259279]
Mr. Sutcliffe:
Sport England have advised they collect data on the number of public swimming pool openings and closures in England. Sport England did not keep figures on public swimming pool closures prior to 2004
and figures for 2008 are still being compiled. The number of public swimming pool openings and closures for which figures are available is as follows:
| Pools o pened | Pools c losed | |
Transport
Apprentices
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the answer of 4 June 2008, Official Report, column 930W, on apprentices, what progress his Department has made towards meeting its share of the Government's commitment to employ over 1,000 apprentices in central Government departments and agencies in 2008-09; and how many apprentices his Department now employs. [256258]
Mr. Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth North (Sarah McCarthy-Fry) on Tuesday 24 February, Official Report, column 740-41W.
The Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency have since registered a further 91 modern apprenticeships giving a Department for Transport total of 175 apprenticeships for the period 2008-09.
Aviation
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of his meetings with (a) BAA on 15 October 2008, (b) British Airways on 20 October 2008 and (c) Virgin on 23 October 2008; and if he will make a statement; [259113]
(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of his officials’ meetings with (a) BAA on 26 August 2008, (b) BAA on 3 September 2008, (c) BAA on 18 September 2008, (d) BAA on 3 October 2008, (e) the Confederation of British Industry on 23 October 2008, (f) BAA on 6 November 2008, (g) the Airport Operators Association on 7 November 2008, (h) BAA on 14 November 2008 and (i) BAA on 24 November 2008; and if he will make a statement; [259114]
(3) if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of his predecessor’s meetings with (a) BAA on 23 July 2008 and (b) BAA on 4 September 2008; and if he will make a statement. [259115]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 26 February 2009]: It is not the normal practice of the Government to release details of meetings with private individuals or companies.
Bus Services: Concessions
David Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of (a) elderly and (b) disabled people in England affected by the withdrawal of (i) companion passes for those
accompanying (A) deafblind and (B) other disabled people and (ii) peak travel entitlement since the introduction of the national concessionary bus fares scheme. [258265]
Paul Clark: The Government do not hold figures for the number of authorities offering companion passes and peak travel entitlement as they are not part of the statutory minimum entitlement. Consequently the Government also do not hold figures for the number of elderly and disabled people affected by the withdrawal of such concessions by local authorities.
Companion passes and peak travel entitlement are offered to eligible concessionaires at the discretion of individual local authorities based on their judgment of local needs and circumstances and their overall financial priorities. The introduction of the national concessionary travel scheme has not affected the flexibility of local authorities to offer such discretionary concessions.
Conwy Valley Railway Line
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the standard of maintenance of the Conwy Valley Line against the Route Availability 07 standards provided for by Network Rail. [258837]
Paul Clark: This is an operational matter for Network Rail as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to her question:
Iain Coucher,
Chief Executive,
Network Rail,
Kings Place,
90 York Way,
London, N1 9AG.
Departmental Leave
Mr. Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2009, Official Report, column 1384W, on departmental leave, why four out of the seven bargaining units in his Department do not grant disability leave to staff; and what assessment has been made of the compatibility of this practice with his Department's disability equality duties. [258197]
Mr. Hoon: Those bargaining units without a specific disability leave policy always give consideration to staff requests for time off for disability related medical appointments and rehabilitation. This is done on a case by case basis. Provision is also available to line managers to permit absence during working hours for rehabilitation, assessment or treatment.
Consideration is also given to making reasonable adjustments for staff with a disability such as reduced hours or change of working patterns where appropriate to enable them to attend the workplace in line with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
Departmental Sick Leave
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff in his Department or its predecessors were on sick leave for (a) over 30 days, (b) over 50 days and (c) over 100 days in each of the last five years. [256335]
Mr. Hoon: The numbers of Department for Transport staff on sick leave within the above parameters are:
| Number | ||||
| Working days | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Note: Figures for 2004 were incomplete and have not been included. | ||||
The Department is committed to managing sick absence effectively and continues to look at initiatives to help reduce absence levels. The process includes clear guidance for managers to follow, early intervention by Occupational Health and conducting return to work interviews with staff. The Department is part of a Government-wide network that meets to discuss issues around attendance management and share best practice.
Heathrow Airport: Air Pollution
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date his Department's air quality technical group delivered its air quality modelling on the project for sustainable development of Heathrow for review and internal clearance within his Department; and on what date internal clearance was granted. [259633]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 27 February 2009]: Emerging results of air quality modelling were delivered over a period of time and reported to the Department's Heathrow Project Board. It was already clear by July 2007 that the air quality limits were likely to be met in the third runway scenarios. Final results, including for the mixed mode scenarios, were reflected in successive drafts of the consultation document reviewed by the board up to its conclusion in October 2007.
High Speed Two
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the company High Speed Two was incorporated; what type of company it is; when its (a) memorandum of association and (b) articles of association were drawn up; and what provisions of company law govern its operation. [258967]
Paul Clark: High Speed Two (HS2) Limited was incorporated on 14 January 2009. It is a private company limited by guarantee and its operation is governed by the normal provisions of company law set out in the Companies Acts. Copies of the Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association have been placed in the Library of the House.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the statement of 15 January 2009, Official Report, columns 359-60, on transport infrastructure, what further steps he has taken to establish High Speed Two; and which individuals he (a) has approached and (b) plans to approach to seek their involvement in the company. [259404]
Paul Clark [holding answer 27 February 2009]: Britain's transport infrastructure: High Speed Two, published in January 2009, stated that High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd. would draw on resources from Network Rail and the Department for Transport. The process for recruitment of these resources is a matter for the company.
Limousines
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many stretch limousines the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has registered in each year since 1997. [259347]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Although the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency records details of vehicles being registered it does not have available a statistical breakdown of the numbers of stretch limousines being registered.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many stretch limousines have been registered following import from the United States in each year since 1997. [259348]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Although the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency records details of vehicles being registered it does not have available a statistical breakdown of the numbers of stretch limousines being registered following import from the United States.
M1: Bedfordshire
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the scheme to widen the M1 between junctions 10 and 13; and if he will make a statement. [258306] [Official Report, 11 March 2009, Vol. 489, c. 9-10MC.]
Paul Clark: In January 2009 the Department for Transport published “Britain's Transport Infrastructure, Motorways and Major Trunk Roads” which summarises the results of assessments of hard shoulder (HSR) running as an alternative to widening on a number of sections of the motorway network including the M1 between junctions 10 and 13. This document is available in the Libraries of the House.
This work has concluded that hard shoulder running can deliver improvements more quickly than motorway widening, provides a better value for money solution and gives benefits in terms of safety and reliability. Additional capacity can be delivered at a lower cost than a more conventional road widening scheme with fewer environmental impacts. We have successfully and safely giving us confidence that we can do the same elsewhere on the network.
In the light of these findings, the January document confirmed that we plan to commence works on the implementation of hard shoulder running on the M1 between junctions 10 and 13 in the next financial year. The Highways Agency will be providing more detailed information on the scheme in spring 2009.
Railways: Finance
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding the Government has provided to the rail industry in each of the last 12 years. [259590]
Paul Clark: Details of historic Government spending on the railway is published annually by the Office Of Rail Regulation in their publication, National Rail Trends. Copies are available in the Library of the House or online at:
Rescue Services: Hope Cove
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what arrangements the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has made to provide rescue services in the operating area previously covered by the Hope Cove lifeboat; what plans he has to make payments to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution for the provision of such services; and if he will make a statement; [259340]
(2) what provisions will be made before 10am and after 6pm during spring and summer months to provide rescue services in the operating area previously covered by the Hope Cove lifeboat; and whether he plans to upgrade the services provided by the Bantham rubber duck boat. [259341] [Official Report, 12 March 2009, Vol. 489, c. 12MC.]
Jim Fitzpatrick: A consultation about the search and rescue provision for the southern part of the south-west peninsula is being prepared.
Until that process is complete the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's boat at Hope Cove will be able to operate under necessary safety restrictions from 1 April 2009 until 31 October 2009.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has recently indicated a willingness to provide a beach life-guarding service specifically at Hope Cove, in addition to maintaining the existing provision at the nearby Bantham beach.
Provision and funding of beach safety services is generally a matter for the local authority.
The Department does not recognise the relevance of the acronym RIVU in this context.
Rolling Stock
Mr. Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the new rail rolling stock recently announced by his Department will be suitable for use on routes north of Edinburgh which are served by the East Coast Main Line franchise. [258442]
Paul Clark: It is intended that Bi-Mode Super Express trains will operate north of Edinburgh to Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness.
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