Written Answers to Questions
Monday 23 March 2009
Scotland
Armed Forces: Recruitment
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on levels of recruitment from Scotland to (a) the Royal Air Force, (b) the Royal Navy, (c) the Army and (d) the Royal Marines. [265723]
Ann McKechin: The Secretary of State and I are in regular contact with Defence Ministers on a range of issues. Recruitment to the armed forces is a matter for Defence Ministers.
Departmental Bank Services
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland with which banks his Department has or has had contracts for the provision of financial advice, for the financial year 2008-09. [262751]
Ann McKechin: For the financial year 2008-09, the Scotland Office have held contracts with banks for the provision of banking operational services only, and not for the provision of financial advice.
Departmental Training
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2009, Official Report, column 501W, on departmental training, which Ministers attended the (a) presentation and public speaking skills course and (b) introduction workshop for new Ministers; and how much those courses cost. [265667]
Ann McKechin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 March 2009, Official Report, column 1287W.
International Development
Sudan: Overseas Aid
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Sudanese government’s decision to expel the staff of a number of international aid agencies from Darfur on the humanitarian situation in the region; what representations his Department has made to the Sudanese government following these expulsions; and if he will make a statement. [263516]
Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
The expulsion of 13 major international (and three national) non-governmental organisations will have a devastating impact on levels of humanitarian assistance in Sudan. UN officials have told the UN Security Council this will disrupt up to 50 per cent. of the current humanitarian effort in Darfur. Consequences will be most severe in Darfur, but will also affect humanitarian, recovery and development assistance throughout north Sudan, particularly in conflict-affected regions of the transitional areas and the east.
Our ambassador has urged government of Sudan to reverse its decision. The EU issued a statement on 10 March 2009 calling upon government of Sudan to urgently reconsider their decision, and ensure that humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable people in Sudan be continuously guaranteed.
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Darfur. [263543]
Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
The expulsion of 13 major international (and three national) non-governmental organisations (NGOs) will have a devastating impact on levels of humanitarian assistance in Sudan. UN officials have told the UN Security Council this will disrupt up to 50 per cent. of the current humanitarian effort in Darfur. Consequences will be most severe in Darfur, but will also affect humanitarian and recovery and development assistance throughout north Sudan particularly in conflict-affected regions of the transitional areas and the east. As well as increased risk of disease, malnutrition and deaths, lack of water, food and shelter could increase insecurity, particularly in large, volatile camps like Kalma (90,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and Gereida (130,000) in south Darfur. Civil disturbances and mass movement of IDPs seeking help could quickly take the situation out of control.
The UK is the second biggest bilateral humanitarian donor after the US, and we have requested that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs brief the UN Security Council on the current situation on the ground. Together with the UN and NGOs we are keeping the situation under close review and are urgently exploring all options to fill the gap left by this action. Initial reports estimate that this could take months if Sudan does not reverse its decision in the near future.
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to ensure that aid reaches those who need it in Darfur; and if he will make a statement. [263548]
Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
The UK is the second biggest bilateral humanitarian donor after the US, and we have requested that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs brief the UN Security Council on the current situation on the ground. Together with the UN and non-governmental organisations we are keeping the situation under close review and are urgently exploring all options to fill the gap left by this action. Initial reports estimate that this could take months if Sudan does not reverse its decision in the near future.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made a statement on 4 March 2009 in which he strongly urged all parties in Sudan to avoid escalation, maintain order and protect embassies, international personnel and humanitarian workers, and above all the Sudanese civilians who have already suffered so much.
The statement is available for viewing at:
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/newsroom/latest-news/?view=Press S&id:=14479209
House of Commons Commission
Clerk of the House
Mr. Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many staff of each grade (a) were employed in the Office of the Clerk of the House before the Tebbit Review of Management and Services of the House was implemented and (b) are employed in the Office of the Chief Executive; and if he will make a statement. [264616]
Nick Harvey: The Tebbit Review recommended that the scope of the activities of the Office of the Clerk of the House should be expanded to embrace planning and performance management functions, and an increased communication co-ordination role; that its staffing numbers should be increased; and that it be renamed the Office of the Chief Executive to reflect its larger role.
In December 2007, immediately before the departmental restructuring which followed the Tebbit Review, there were 12 staff (11.6 full-time equivalent) in the Office of the Clerk of the House. There are currently 21 staff (20.2 full-time equivalent) in the Office of the Chief Executive. A breakdown by band is given in the following tables. Most of the increase in staff is accounted for by the transfer to the OCE of functions from other Departments (principally internal audit, risk management and internal communications), so there has not been a corresponding increase in the total number of staff in the House Service.
| Office of the Clerk | |
| Band | Number of staff (full-time equivalent) |
| Office of the Chief Executive | |
| Band | Number of staff (full-time equivalent) |
Management and Services of the House of Commons Review
Mr. Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what recent representations the Commission has received on the implementation of the Tebbit Review of Management and Services of the House; and if he will make a statement. [264615]
Nick Harvey: The House of Commons Commission has received no recent representations about the implementation of the Tebbit Review. It has received six-monthly progress reports from the Management Board on actions agreed in response to the review; the most recent was in December.
Mr. Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what estimate the Commission has made of the effects on expenditure on House administration of implementation of the recommendations of the Tebbit Review of Management and Services of the House; and if he will make a statement. [264617]
Nick Harvey: It is intended that the implementation of the recommendations of the Tebbit Preview will lead over time to better management of the House Service and to greater efficiency in the delivery of the House administration. The costs of implementing the Tebbit recommendations have been met out of existing budgets, by efficiency savings in existing areas of work.
Postal Services
Kate Hoey: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission when the mail screening contract for Parliament will next be re-tendered. [265447]
Nick Harvey: The current mail screening contract runs until September 2010. Work to retender the contract will commence in the autumn of 2009.
Transport
Bus Services: Concessions
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding his Department provided in (a) 2002-03 and (b) 2007-08 for the concessionary bus fares scheme in the Torbay Unitary Authority area; what the growth in passenger numbers during this period was; what proportion of the cost of the scheme in Torbay Unitary Authority area has been met by (i) the Exchequer and (ii) the local unitary authority since 2002; and what percentage of the population in (A) Torbay Unitary Authority area and (B) England is aged over 60 years and entitled to a concessionary bus fare. [264257]
Paul Clark:
Before 1 April 2008, funding for the statutory minimum bus concession was provided exclusively through the Formula Grant system, which is administered by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG). The Department for Transport
therefore provided no separate funding to Torbay Unitary Authority for concessionary bus travel in 2002-03 or 2007-08.
The Department did however provide Torbay unitary authority with £120,832 in 2007-08 for the cost of producing and issuing the new England-wide bus passes to all those eligible.
In 2008-09 Torbay unitary authority received additional special grant funding from the Department for Transport of £980,000; an increase of 38 per cent. on the authority’s spend on concessionary travel in 2007-08. The total number of bus journeys rose by 14 per cent. in England between 2002-03 and 2007-08. In 2007-08, 968 million concessionary trips were made in England. We do not hold data on the number of concessionary trips made in prior years.
In Torbay, 30 per cent. of the population is over-60, compared to 22 per cent. in the rest of England.
Driving: Insurance
Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department collects on the insurance status of drivers involved in road traffic accidents in each police authority area; and if he will make a statement. [265091]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department of Transport does not collect any information on the insurance status of drivers involved in reported personal injury road accidents.
Driving: Multiple Sclerosis
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many drivers diagnosed with multiple sclerosis hold long-term driving licences. [264196]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Accurate statistics on the total number of long-term licences held by drivers with multiple sclerosis are not available and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) only holds data on those drivers with multiple sclerosis who have notified the agency of their medical condition. Between 2004 and 2007 DVLA issued approximately 8,000 driving licences to Group 1 (car and motorcycle) drivers with multiple sclerosis and these included long-term licences.
The current licensing system places a legal obligation on the applicant/licence holder to notify, at any time, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) of the onset or worsening of any medical condition which may affect their fitness to drive.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many driving licences which would have expired on the holder’s 70th birthday have been revoked consequent on changes in application of the provisions of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to drivers with multiple sclerosis. [265094]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The statistical information required is not available.
Licences are revoked or restricted for a number of reasons which may or may not relate solely to the driver’s condition of multiple sclerosis. In some cases other prescribed or prospective disabilities may also be relevant to the decision. In cases where multiple sclerosis
is the sole factor, changes to the validity or duration of a licence are dependent on information received from the driver and, on investigation, from medical opinion of the rate and level of progression of the driver’s condition and any consequent impairment relevant to driving.
In order to obtain the required material information, each case that has been assessed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency would need to be reviewed individually, to establish whether the strengthening of the operational framework in 2006 influenced the decision on the licensing.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes have been made in the application of the provisions of the Road Traffic Act 1988 in respect of the renewal of the driving licences of drivers with multiple sclerosis; and when each change was implemented. [265095]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The provisions of the Road Traffic Act 1988 require multiple sclerosis to be considered as a prospective disability. Drivers who notify the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) of the condition are assessed against the standards set out in DVLA’s “At a Glance Guide to the Current Medical Standards of Fitness to Drive”, in relation to chronic neurological conditions (including multiple sclerosis). Neither the standards, nor the requirement for drivers to notify of such a prospective disability, have changed.
In early 2006, following the publication of new diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis by the American Neurological Association, operational guidance for case management was made more robust to ensure consistency of assessment and outcome.
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