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12 May 2009 : Column 646W—continued
Government Car and Despatch Agency: Pay
Mr. Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many full-time staff employed at the Government Car and Despatch Agency in London earn less than £15,944 per annum. [274699]
Mr. Hoon: The Government Car and Despatch Agency has no full-time employees earning £15,944 per annum or less.
Motor Vehicles: Insurance
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Windsor of 3 November 2008, Official Report, columns 49-50W, what progress has been made on the introduction of electronic motor insurance certificates; and if he will make a statement. [274957]
Jim Fitzpatrick: A first draft of regulations has been prepared and is being discussed internally and with the motor insurance industry.
We aim to lay regulations before the end of the year, if the proposed approach proves to be practicable.
Railways: Franchises
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with National Express on its East Coast Main Line franchise; and if he will make a statement. [273989]
Paul Clark [holding answer 8 May 2009]: Under the Franchise Agreement, a Franchise Performance Meeting between Department for Transport officials and National Express East Coast is held every four weeks to discuss the delivery of its franchise agreement and obligations. The last such meeting took place on 23 April 2009.
Railways: Tickets
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which train operating companies are required under the terms of their franchise agreements to introduce smart ticketing. [273833]
Paul Clark: The following franchises have a requirement within the terms of their franchise to introduce or accept ITSO based smartcard ticketing:
South West Trains
London Midland
East Midlands Trains
National Express East Coast
Cross Country
The new South Central franchise will also include similar provisions.
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what requirements regarding smart ticketing he will place on the operating company awarded the South Central franchise currently under tender. [273834]
Paul Clark: In line with all recent franchise competitions, the operator of the new South Central Franchise will be required to introduce an ITSO based smartcard ticketing system across the franchise, with the scheme introduced by January 2012.
With regard to the introduction of Oyster Pay As You Go within the London area the operator will be required to work with Transport for London and the Department for Transport to secure its implementation.
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress his Department has made on delivering the commitments made in the 2007 White Paper, Delivering a Sustainable Railway on smart ticketing; and if he will make a statement. [273835]
Paul Clark: The introduction of ITSO smartcards has been mandated in all recently let rail franchises and will be included in the South Central franchise.
The Department for Transport, Transport for London and train operators are working together on the acceptance of Oyster Pay As You Go at London train stations and the acceptance of ITSO Smartcards on Oyster equipment.
Rushenden Link Road
Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding stakeholders have committed to the Rushenden Link Road project. [274799]
Paul Clark:
The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) jointly committed a total of £12 million for
the Rushenden Link Road scheme in June 2006. The HCA (formerly Communities and Local Government) made £9 million available through their Thames Gateway programme fund, with the remaining £3 million coming from SEEDA.
Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who the funding stakeholders for the Rushenden Link Road project are. [274800]
Paul Clark: The South East England Development Agency and the Homes and Communities Agency (formerly with the Communities and Local Government) are the key funding stakeholders for the Rushenden Link Road project and jointly committed £12 million to fund the scheme in June 2006.
Shipping: Pollution
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will hold discussions at EU level to seek to establish a low emission shipping zone in European coastal waters. [272522]
Jim Fitzpatrick: A Sulphur Oxides (SOx) Emission Control Area has been in force in the North Sea area (including the English Channel) since 2007. Since then, the UK has played a significant role in the development of the revised MARPOL Annex VI which the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted last year and which will result in a further significant reduction of emissions from ships of sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides, and improved air quality in our coastal regions. We consistently seek to develop measures to reduce ship emissions in forums such as the IMO and the European Union.
Trade Unions
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2009, Official Report, column 366W, on trade unions, which trade unions his Department's agencies recognise. [271924]
Mr. Hoon: The Department for Transport's agencies recognise the following trade unions:
Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency—Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS),
Maritime and Coastguard Agency—PCS, Prospect and Association of First Division Civil Servants (FDA),
Highways Agency—PCS, Prospect and FDA,
Driving Standards Agency—PCS,
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency—PCS, Prospect and Unite/Amicus
Vehicle Certification Agency—PCS and Prospect
Government Car and Despatch Agency—PCS, Prospect and Unite.
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2009, Official Report, column 366W, on trades unions, what office facilities his Department provides for the exclusive use of each recognised trade union; and what the notional annual value of such provision is. [271925]
Mr. Hoon: The Department for Transport, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, the Driving Standards Agency and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency provide trade unions with office facilities for exclusive use.
The notional annual value of such provision is £81,231,
Energy and Climate Change
Carbon Emissions: Housing
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what funding is in place to encourage the construction of zero-carbon homes. [249774]
Joan Ruddock [holding answer 20 January 2009]: The following initiatives currently provide financial support to encourage the construction of zero carbon homes:
Stamp Duty Land Tax Exemption—Stamp Duty relief for zero carbon homes was announced in Budget 2007 to act as an incentive to developers of new zero carbon homes. The exemption covers the first acquisition of a zero carbon home costing up to £500,000. For homes costing in excess of £500,000 there will be a reduction of £15,000. The exemption is in place for all new homes for a period of five years ending on 30 September 2012.
Zero Carbon Hub—The Zero Carbon Hub, a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, was launched in June 2008 to guide, monitor and coordinate the zero carbon home programme. In 2008-09, the Department for Communities and Local Government provided approximately £250,000 of grant funding to the Hub to help with set up costs.
Departmental Air Conditioning
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) how many of his Department’s buildings are equipped with air conditioning systems with greater than 250kW of output; how many of these systems have been inspected under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each inspection report; [272145]
(2) how much has been spent by his Department on carrying out inspections of air conditioning systems within departmental buildings in accordance with the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007. [272146]
Joan Ruddock: The Department occupies one building which falls within the requirements of the Energy Performance of Buildings (certificates and inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007. The cost of carrying out the inspection of the air-conditioning system was £1,437.50. A copy of the inspection report will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Fuel Poverty
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many (a) people and (b) households were in fuel poverty in each local authority area in each year since 2000; and what the Government's target for fuel poverty reduction was in each such year. [274049]
Joan Ruddock: Since 2000, fuel poverty data at a sub-regional level are only available for 2003, for England. The data for fuel poverty levels for 2003 come from the Fuel Poverty Indicator dataset available online at:
The following table shows estimated fuel poverty levels for each local authority in England in 2003:
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