| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
26 Mar 2009 : Column 564W—continued
Departmental Security
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many security passes granting access to his Department's main building have been (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last 15 months. [266940]
Mr. Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 February 2009, Official Report, column 522W, which provided details of lost and stolen passes for 2008.
To date in 2009, 12 members of staff (including contractors) working in MOD Main Building reported their passes as lost. The monthly breakdown for 2009 is:
| Month | Number lost |
No passes to date in 2009 have been reported as stolen. Once reported as lost or stolen, passes are disabled immediately, denying access to the building.
European Fighter Aircraft
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 4 March 2009, Official Report, column 54WS, on aircraft (available support), what the payment schedule is for the contract with BAE Systems in respect of the Typhoon availability support service. [266394]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The financial arrangements for the Typhoon Availability Service (TAS) contract with BAE Systems include a payment schedule whereby payments are made monthly in arrears across the five year period of the contract; in addition, the contract includes incentivised performance targets and a gainshare arrangement.
Military Aircraft: Helicopters
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to put out to tender a contract to (a) refurbish or (b) replace the Puma support helicopter; and if he will make a statement. [266392]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The Department is currently working with EADS Eurocopter, the original manufacturer of the Puma aircraft, to finalise plans for the upgrade of the existing Puma fleet. This work will ensure the Puma aircraft can continue to provide a significant contribution to our helicopter lift capability for at least 10 years beyond its planned Out of Service Date (OSD) of 2012. We expect to make the main investment decision on this project later this year, at which time its revised OSD will be confirmed. In parallel, we are already developing plans to sustain our helicopter lift capability beyond the OSD of Puma, but it is too early to comment further on these plans.
Leader of the House
Members’ Constituency Work: Digital Technology
Andrew Miller: To ask the Leader of the House what mechanisms are in place to assist hon. Members to engage with their constituents through the use of interactive digital technology. [267456]
Chris Bryant: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Ribble Valley (Mr. Evans) on 2 March 2009, Official Report, column 1213W.
Olympics
Departmental Public Appointments
Harry Cohen: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what information her Office holds on the number of persons appointed to executive positions in bodies for which her Office has responsibility who previously had careers in the banking industry. [261242]
Tessa Jowell: This information is not held centrally. However, I have been informed that no staff in executive positions at the Olympic Lottery Distributor and none of the Olympic Delivery Authority's Executive Management Board have a career history that involves the banking sector.
The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games is a privately funded commercial organisation. Information about their executive staff members can be found on their website:
A copy of the relevant website pages will be placed in the House Libraries.
Departmental Sick Leave
Norman Lamb: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many staff in her Office were on sick leave for (a) over 30 days, (b) over 50 days and (c) over 100 days in each year since its inception. [256332]
Tessa Jowell: No members of staff in my private office have been on sick leave for 30 days or more since the inception of the Office.
Annual sick leave statistics are published on the Cabinet Office website in the “Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service”, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
Culture, Media and Sport
Exercise
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what methodology his Department uses to assess progress towards the target of two million people becoming more active by 2012; what date is being used as the baseline for the target; to which age groups the target is applied; what criteria are used to decide whether a person has become more active; and whether the target is applied to people with (a) mental health problems, (b) physical disabilities and (c) learning disabilities. [266053]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Government's 2012 Legacy Action Plan (LAP), published in June 2008, sets a cross-Government target to get 2 million more adults active through sport and physical activity by 2012. DCMS and Sport England lead on getting 1 million more people doing more sport. A range of Government departments will deliver programmes that will increase wider physical activity. Many of these programmes are outlined in the Department of Health's (DoH) new Physical Activity Plan 'Be Active, Be Healthy" published on 11 February 2009.
Sport England's Active People survey will be the measure for the 2 million target. The baseline for the target will be established using the 2007-08 Active People survey, the results of which were published on 11 December 2008. The target is based on those adults aged 16 and over achieving three sessions of at least 30 minutes of at least moderate intensity activity per week. The target will also be informed by additional data collected on dance, active conservation and gardening from January 2009. A newly established Physical Activity Programme Board, chaired jointly by DoH and DCMS, will oversee the delivery of programmes against the LAP target.
The LAP target applies to all adults aged over 16. Both the Sport England Strategy and Be Active Be Healthy recognise that people with disabilities, ranging from physical and neurological to sensory impairments and learning disabilities are at particular risk from inactivity.
Sport England
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance his Department has issued since 2001 to (a) Sport England and (b) national governing bodies on consulting other external organisations; and if he will make a statement. [263248]
Mr. Sutcliffe: My Department has not issued direct guidance to Sport England since 2001 on consulting external organisations. Sport England have advised that they did not issue formal guidance on consultation when engaging with national governing bodies in relation to their submission bids for funding. However as part of this funding process many national governing bodies consulted with a wide range of individuals and organisations relevant to their sport, including partners, registered members, clubs, coaches and volunteers, to help formulate and compile the final funding submission.
Reviewing these submissions, Sport England has involved the support of its key national partners, including SportscoachUK, SkillsActive, Volunteering England, The English Federation of Disability Sport, Sporting Equals, The National Association for Volunteer and Community Action (NAVCA) and the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation to provide expert feedback and commentary upon each individual area of specialism.
In addition an external advisory panel whose purpose it was to check and challenge the overall funding process, including some of the key principles of the funding allocation, included external partners from UK Sport, Youth Sport Trust, local authorities, national governing bodies, Volunteering England, Central Council of Physical Recreation and ex-athletes (Dame Tanni Grey Thompson and Jonathan Edwards).
Transport
A12: Colchester
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects work to start on the junction between the A12 and the Colchester Northern Approach Road; and if he will make a statement. [265896]
Paul Clark: Delivery of this scheme is related to planning conditions and is a matter for developers to take forward in line with plans for delivery of proposed housing, employment and leisure facilities in north Colchester. In view of this, a definite start date is not currently available but work is expected to start in 2009 subject to a detailed review of engineering issues and funding availability.
Airports: Security
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2009, Official Report, column 1146W, on airports: security, if he will make it his policy that passengers concerned about the effects on health of body scanners using backscatter x-ray technology have the option of a manual pat search should such technology be introduced. [267164]
Jim Fitzpatrick: There are currently no plans to introduce back-scatter x-ray technology at UK airports. All security technology is assessed to ensure that it is fully compliant with health and safety legislation.
Driving: Diabetes
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals to provide that people with insulin-treated diabetes may drive heavy goods vehicles following the approval of a medical practitioner. [267163]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Drivers with diabetes treated by insulin, who have good diabetic control and who have no significant diabetic complications may apply for consideration of a category C1 licence (goods vehicles between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes). Applications must also be supported by a report from a medical practitioner specialising in the management of diabetes.
An amendment to the minimum health standard set out in the second European Commission directive is also currently progressing through the EC legislative process. The UK will then review its current medical standards and, in consultation with the expert members of the Secretary of State for Transport’s honorary medical advisory panel on driving and diabetes, consider the implications of diabetes for driving and whether there should be a relaxation of the current standards. Legislation may then be amended to accommodate any changes.
Heathrow Airport
Justine Greening:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2009, Official Report, column 987W, on Heathrow Airport, what the position was which was confirmed by advice to
Ministers in September 2007 and subsequently agreed to for the purposes of the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport public consultation; and if he will make a statement. [266648]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The hon. Member’s previous questions related to air quality modelling results. The advice to Ministers in September 2007 confirmed the conclusions of the environmental assessment programme on the ability to meet noise and air quality limits if Heathrow was expanded. These conclusions were subsequently set out in the “Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport” consultation document published in November 2007.
Heathrow Airport: Railways
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the oral statement of 15 January 2009, Official Report, columns 355-60, on transport infrastructure, whether the Network Rail site at Old Oak Common is among those locations being considered for the proposed Heathrow rail hub. [266430]
Paul Clark: “Britain's Transport Infrastructure: High Speed Two”, published on 15 January and available on the Department for Transport's website and the Libraries of the House, sets out what we expect “High Speed Two” to deliver. The remit of the company is, inter alia, to consider and provide advice to the Government by the end of 2009 on options for a “Heathrow International” interchange station on the Great Western main line including an interchange with Crossrail.
High Speed Trains: West Midlands
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will instruct High Speed Trains Ltd. to include in the proposals for high speed rail links being developed for his Department the provision of a high speed link from the West Midlands to Manchester. [262939]
Paul Clark: High Speed Two was formed to develop the case for high speed services between London and Scotland. As a first stage it will report by the end of the year with a proposed route from London to the West Midlands, with any necessary options including for stations. It will also consider the potential for new lines to serve the North of England and Scotland.
In response to a letter dated 13 February from Sir David Rowlands, Chairman of High Speed Two, my noble Friend the Minister responsible for rail wrote to the company on 9 March setting out what the Government expect by the end of the year. Both letters are available in the Libraries of the House.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects on (a) national gross domestic product and (b) the West Midlands economy of a high speed line from London to (i) Rugby and (ii) the centre of Birmingham. [262941]
Paul Clark: High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd. has been formed to develop the case for high speed services between London and Scotland.
As a first stage, the company is expected to bring forward proposals for Britain's second new high speed line, between London and the West Midlands, by the end of the year, and to consider the potential for new lines to serve the North of England and Scotland. This will need to include an appraisal of the environmental, planning, technological, capacity, value for money and funding issues.
In response to a letter dated 13 February from Sir David Rowlands, Chairman of High Speed Two, my noble Friend the Minister responsible for rail wrote to the company on 9 March setting out what the Government expect by the end of the year. Both letters are available in the Libraries of the House.
Opinion Leader Research
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his (a) Department and (b) its agencies have paid Opinion Leader Research in each year since November 2007. [266002]
Mr. Hoon [holding answer 24 March 2009]: No payments have been made by the Department for Transport to Opinion Leader Research Limited between 1 November 2007 and 23 March 2009.
Pedestrian Crossings
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to bring forward measures to enable local authorities to introduce countdown signs at pedestrian crossings. [266510]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport has no plans to bring forward measures to enable local authorities to introduce countdown signs at pedestrian crossings.
However, Transport for London are discussing their plans for pedestrian countdown timers with the Department, and are researching various options before seeking our approval for on-street trials.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |