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16 Jun 2009 : Column 167W—continued
Lord Davies is responsible for: UK Trade and Investment (reporting jointly to my noble Friend the Business Secretary and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary); advising the Secretary of State and the Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills (Pat McFadden) on overall business policy; working on specific business issues alongside the Minister for Business and Regulatory Reform (Ian Lucas); the work of the Exports Credits Guarantee Department; Public Service Reform; trade policy; and Europe.
Lord Davies meets regularly with the Foreign Secretary, the ministerial team and the FCO Permanent Under-Secretary, as well as travelling extensively around the overseas network. With such a wide remit it is impossible to apportion the time the Minister spends attending to the work of one Department or another; this is dictated by the priorities of the business of any given day.
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Lord Davies of Abersoch has an office in his Department. [279806]
Chris Bryant: Lord Davies of Abersoch does not have a designated office in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Olympic Games 2012
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many full-time equivalent members of staff in (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies are working on projects relating to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games; how many of them are working on (i) project management, (ii) legacy planning, (iii) project oversight and (iv) financial oversight; and what plans he has for future staffing levels in each case. [279820]
Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) currently has seven full-time equivalent members of staff based in the UK working on projects related to the London 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games. Of these, project management accounts for four and a half full-time equivalent posts. Legacy planning, project oversight and financial oversight jointly account for the remainder. A small number of full-time equivalent staff overseas will be working on a UK 2012 Public Diplomacy Campaign from this autumn.
The FCO envisages that by 2012, a full team of staff will be working on London 2012 projects including security, protocol, and public diplomacy. However it is difficult to predict at this stage how many staff might be involved in this work.
The British Council currently has 19 full-time equivalent members of staff working on projects related to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. Of these, project management accounts for 13 full-time posts, all of which are overseas. Legacy planning, project oversight and financial oversight jointly account for six full-time posts, all of which are in London. From 2009 to 2013, on existing programmes, the British Council will have a maximum of up to 20 full-time posts working on project management and six full-time posts working on legacy planning, project oversight and financial oversight.
Somalia: Armed Conflict
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of (a) reports that Eritrea is arming and supporting Islamic insurgents within Somalia and (b) Eritrea’s observance of UN resolutions on Somalia. [279785]
Chris Bryant [holding answer 15 June 2009]: We are concerned by reports that Eritrea has supplied weapons to insurgent groups in Somalia in contravention to UN Security Council Resolution 733 (1992) on Somalia.
We believe that the issue should be dealt with through existing UN mechanisms and urge any evidence be presented to the UN Sanctions Committee. The UN Sanctions Monitoring Group is due to present its findings on this issue in the coming weeks.
We continue to support the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia and deplore any attempts to disrupt the reconciliation process and undermine efforts towards peace and stability in the country.
Trade Promotion
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his Department's officials based in the UK work on trade promotion matters; and how many did so in 1997. [279807]
Chris Bryant: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff in the UK working on trade and investment are based in UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), a joint organisation of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Currently 31 FCO civil servants are working in UKTI in offices in the UK. Two of these staff are on temporary short-term attachments.
Neither the FCO nor UKTI hold data on workforce deployments in 1997.
Transport
Biofuels
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport with reference to the Statement of 7 July 2008, Official Report, column 1169, on biofuels, what representations he has made to the European Commission on the inclusion of the effects of indirect land use change in European sustainability criteria for biofuels. [279312]
Mr. Khan: During the Renewable Energy Directive negotiations in 2008, the UK Government led the debate in Europe on the need to address the impacts of indirect land use change for biofuels. As per the statement of 15 December 2008, Official Report, column 91WS, this resulted in the introduction of a requirement for the Commission to submit a report to the Council and the European Parliament on the impact of indirect land use change on greenhouse gas emissions by 31 December 2010, and where appropriate a proposal for a methodology for accounting for these. The UK Government are conducting research in this area to help inform the debate on what this methodology will look like.
Bus Services: Concessions
Robert Neill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) of 28 April 2009, Official Report, columns 1221-22W, on bus services: concessions, if he will place in the Library a copy of each written representation from local authorities expressing concern. [279991]
Mr. Khan: I am not in a position to make correspondence from local authorities publicly available without seeking approval from them first. The authorities that have contacted the Department regarding concessionary travel funding are listed as follows. The hon. Member may wish to contact them directly to obtain a copy of their representation.
Blackpool
Bournemouth
Burnley
Cambridge
Chesterfield
Chichester
Derby
Eastbourne
Erewash
Exeter
Fareham
Fylde
Harrogate
Hastings
Isle of Wight
Lancashire county council
Norwich
Nottingham
Oxford
Peterborough
Plymouth
Scarborough
Stafford
Swindon
Torbay
Weymouth
Worcester
Worthing
York
c2c
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 2 June 2009, Official Report, column 294W, on c2c, if he will (a) agree and (b) publish a timetable for re-letting the c2c franchise. [279411]
Chris Mole: The current London, Tilbury and Southend Franchise, operated by c2c, ends in May 2011. The Department for Transport's usual franchise replacement process takes between 18 and 24 months to complete. Initial work on the franchise specification will begin later this year and a timetable published when appropriate.
Cycling: Essex
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much funding his Department has allocated to encourage bicycle usage in (a) Essex and (b) Castle Point in each of the last five years. [279284]
Mr. Khan: Funding provided by the Department for Transport (DfT) to local transport authorities is not generally ring-fenced and local authorities have discretion to spend their allocations in line with their priorities. Figures are not available at constituency level.
The Department provides integrated transport block and highways maintenance funding to local transport authorities to support capital investment in transport, which may be used for a range of purposes as the authorities see fit. Allocations provided to Essex since 2004-05 are shown in the following table:
| Allocation (£ million) | |
In addition the DfT has provided the following funding for Links to School in Essex:
| £ | |
We have also provided the following cycle training grants to Essex but it is for the local authority to determine which schools the funding is allocated to:
| £ | |
Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many residents of (a) Dartford and (b) Thurrock have submitted successful applications to the Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing Local Resident Scheme to date. [279072]
Mr. Khan: There have been 9,156 successful applications from Dartford residents and 8,908 from Thurrock residents.
Departmental Conditions of Employment
Mr. Leech: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2009, Official Report, column 485W, on departmental conditions of employment, for what reasons the flexible benefits business plan is considered to be a confidential document. [279450]
Chris Mole:
The proposed flexible benefits business plan is currently being developed and is an integral part
of a protective marked document, which contains sensitive information that could be prejudicial to the interests of the Department for Transport if it was released.
Departmental Travel
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many journeys officials from his Department have made in vehicles provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency using B5 biodiesel in the last 12 months. [279466]
Paul Clark: The Government Car and Despatch Agency does not record whether diesel purchased for use in the one diesel car it allocated to the Department for Transport during 2008-09 was biodiesel blend or ordinary low sulphur diesel. Furthermore, the Agency does not record individual journey details of allocated vehicles. This information could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
Fisheries
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2009, Official Report, column 706W, on fisheries; what recent guidance his Department has issued regarding stability criteria for small fishing vessels following the research commissioned by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency; and if he will make a statement. [279304]
Paul Clark: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is analysing the results of the research that it commissioned on stability criteria for small fishing vessels, and considering its practical applicability to fishing vessel operators.
Following that, the MCA will give consideration to the issue of guidance in due course.
Heathrow Airport
Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent representations he has received from representative business organisations on his decision on the consultation on adding capacity at Heathrow Airport; if he will review that decision for the purposes of taking account of those representations; and if he will make a statement. [278975]
Paul Clark: Decisions on adding capacity at Heathrow airport were announced on 15 January following an extensive period of evaluation and widespread public consultation. The business community has generally supported expansion, recognising the economic benefits, although some business interests have since expressed different views. The Government's position remains unchanged.
Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2009, Official Report, columns 572-3W, on Heathrow airport, what the conclusions of the environmental assessment programme were on the likelihood of meeting the (a) noise and (b) air quality limits if Heathrow was expanded. [278982]
Paul Clark: As explained in the answer of 26 March 2009, Official Report, columns 572-3W, the conclusions of the environmental assessment programme were as set out in the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation document published in November 2007, namely that Heathrow could be expanded within the noise and air quality limits at the indicated levels of traffic.
Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 1 June 2009, Official Report, column 14W, on Heathrow Airport, for what reasons he decided not to place in the Library a copy of the letter from Colin Matthews of BAA on the proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport. [278983]
Paul Clark: As stated in the answer of 1 June 2009, Official Report, column 14W, the content of the letter from Colin Matthews of BAA dated 28 November was widely reported in the media at the time and is covered, in full, in a press release titled "Heathrow Airport puts environmental limits before new flights" which can be accessed in the 'News Releases' section of:
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