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23 Jun 2009 : Column 760W—continued
Warm Front Scheme
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many complaints he has received from hon. Members about Warm Front in each of the last two years. [265996]
Joan Ruddock: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 4 June 2009, Official Report, column 632W.
Warm Front Scheme: East of England
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many houses in (a) North West Cambridgeshire, (b) Cambridgeshire constituency, (c) the East of England region and (d) Peterborough have had insulation installed under the Warm Front scheme in each of the last five years. [281162]
Mr. Kidney: The following table details the numbers of homes insulated by Warm Front in (a) North West Cambridgeshire, (b) Cambridgeshire, (c) the East of England and (d) Peterborough during the current phase of the Warm Front Scheme (beginning 2005). Prior to 2005, this area of the scheme was managed by a different scheme manager and comprehensive data are not available. North West Cambridgeshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are all constituencies which make up the figures for the East of England and therefore the number of households assisted is also included in this total figure.
| Area/scheme year | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 |
Warm Front Scheme: Essex
Mr. Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many (a) applications for and (b) awards from the Warm Front scheme there were for those resident in Essex in each of the last five financial years for which figures are available. [260379]
Joan Ruddock: The following table provides details on (a) the number of eligible applicants to Warm Front in Essex since 2005 and (b) the number of households assisted in each financial year available.
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | Total | |
| Note: Figures prior to 2005 are not available as Essex came under the jurisdiction of another scheme manager and the data retained are not sufficient. | |||||
Transport
Air Passenger Duty
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many passengers travelled by air to destinations that would now be classified as Air Passenger Duty Bands (a) A, (b) B, (c) C and (d) D in 2008. [280153]
Paul Clark: The following table shows the number of passengers who travelled by air to destinations that would now be classified as air passenger duty (APD) bands A, B, C and D in 2008.
| APD band | Passengers ( m illion) |
| Notes: 1. Band A includes domestic flights. 2. APD is not paid on flights departing ‘from’ airports in the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Source: DfT analysis of Civil Aviation Authority data. | |
Aircraft: Repairs and Maintenance
Jeff Ennis: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what directions his Department issues on the procedures to be followed for the maintenance and servicing of aircraft flown by commercial operators from UK airports. [280120]
Paul Clark: The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is responsible for the development of regulatory procedures to ensure the continued airworthiness of all UK and European registered aircraft, which are engaged in commercial operations. The Civil Aviation Authority is empowered by the Department for Transport to carry out checks and inspections with a view to ensuring that UK operators comply with EASA procedures.
Foreign aircraft flying to or from the UK require permission from the Secretary of State for Transport and it is a condition of obtaining his permission that they comply with safety standards promulgated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The Department for Transport operates a programme of ramp checks to ensure that ICAO standards are being adhered to and we are currently increasing our number of annual checks to some 1,000 in 2009-10. Where foreign aircraft are found to fall short of ICAO standards, we will take action to ensure that they remedy the deficiencies, up to and including removing their permission to fly here. We will also refer such airlines to the European Union's Air Safety Committee, which has the power to impose a Europe-wide ban.
Aviation
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what discussions his Department has had with the International Civil Aviation Organisation on reviewing the Extended Range Twin-Engine Operations dispensation. [280074]
Paul Clark: Civil aviation safety in the UK is regulated by independent aviation safety regulators: the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) which is responsible for aircraft design and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Extended Range Twin-Engine Operations (ETOPS) was developed to enable twin-engined aircraft to fly the same direct routings as aircraft with three or four engines and has been in existence since 1985. It has an excellent safety record and last year the International Civil Aviation Organisation set up a Special Operations Task Force to consider whether some of the aeroplane certification, maintenance and operational procedures that are required for an ETOPS approval should be extended to three and four-engined operations. The CAA is represented on the taskforce, the work of which is ongoing.
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will estimate the likely effect of an increase in the average cost of a domestic flight by one-third on passenger numbers. [280154]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport’s “UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts”, published in January 2009, reports the elasticity of domestic demand with respect to air fares in table 2.1, page 17. The report is available at:
This elasticity determines the responsiveness of domestic demand for air travel to changes in fares, before airport capacity constraints have been accounted for.
No estimate of the effect on passenger demand of an increase of one-third in the domestic air fare is available.
Aviation: Safety
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether his Department has discussed with the Civil Aviation Authority the replacement of pitot tubes of the type used by the aircraft involved in the Air France flight 447 crash with alternative designs. [279703]
Paul Clark: Civil aviation safety in the UK is regulated by independent aviation safety regulators: the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) which is responsible for aircraft design and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
EASA continues to review the reliability of the pitot tubes used by the aircraft involved in the Air France flight 447 crash. The CAA is in regular contact with EASA and UK industry on this issue to ensure timely action is taken if and when necessary.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many A330 and A340 planes using UK airports use pitot tubes of the same type as the aircraft involved in the Air France flight 447 crash to assist in the measurement of airspeed. [279704]
Paul Clark: Civil aviation safety in the UK is regulated by independent aviation safety regulators: the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is responsible for the regulation of aircraft design, and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The pitot tubes fitted to the Air France Flight 447 Airbus A330 aircraft meet the current EASA design requirements, and are therefore a common feature of many Airbus aircraft that utilise UK airports. EASA continues to review the reliability of these pitot tubes. The CAA is in regular contact with EASA and UK industry to ensure timely action is taken if and when necessary.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what research his Department has (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned on the reliability of equipment for measuring air speed used in A330 and A340 aircraft in the last two years. [279705]
Paul Clark: Civil aviation safety in the UK is regulated by independent aviation safety regulators: the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is responsible for the regulation of aircraft design, and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). As such, the Department for Transport does not undertake or commission research in this area.
EASA continues to review the reliability of pitot tubes by collecting data on the dependability of their air speed measurements. The CAA is being kept informed of developments.
Demos
Mr. Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what (a) private meetings and (b) public engagements Ministers in his Department have attended at which representatives from the think-tank Demos were present in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [279490]
Chris Mole: Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.
Departmental Correspondence
Alistair Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what percentage of letters to his Department from hon. Members' Parliamentary offices were answered within 30 days of the date of receipt in each quarter from January 2008 to March 2009. [280467]
Chris Mole: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members’ correspondence. The report for 2008 was published on 2 April 2009, Official Report, columns 80-86WS.
Departmental Lost Property
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many laptop computers belonging to (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have been lost or stolen in the last five years. [281084]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport includes seven agencies, a shared service centre and the central Department. The figures provided here for lost and stolen laptop computers do not include losses or thefts where records are not available, where equipment has not been procured centrally, or where such losses or thefts were not reported.
The total number of laptop computers recorded as lost and stolen from the central Department since January 2004 is 14.
The number of laptop computers recorded as lost and stolen from the Department's Executive agencies since January 2004 is 91.
DVLA: Disclosure of Information
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many requests for information in respect of the registered keeper of a vehicle were made to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) in 2008-09; how many of those were received (a) in electronic form and (b) by post from (i) DVLA-accredited trade associations, (ii) non-DVLA-accredited car park operators, (iii) individuals and (iv) others; and how many in each such category were (A) accepted and (B) refused. [280158]
Paul Clark: The following tables provides the information requested where it is available.
| Of which: | |||
| Total | Submitted electronically | Submitted by post | |
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