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1 July 2009 : Column 254W—continued
Water Charges: Voluntary Organisations
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has received from voluntary and community groups on charges for surface water drainage. [283013]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Since 1 April 2009, DEFRA has received about 40 letters and one e-petition on the No. 10 website from voluntary and community groups on charges for surface water drainage.
Transport
Airports: Carbon Emissions
Charles Hendry: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the volume of carbon dioxide emissions arising at each airport in the most recent period for which figures are available. [283255]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport published in January 2009 its assessment of the carbon dioxide emissions from each of the 31 UK airports included in the Department’s UK air passenger demand and CO2 forecasting framework. These airports accounted for 94 per cent. of total UK air traffic movements in 2005.
This assessment is reported for the year 2005 and can be found in Annex G, Table G10 of “UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts”:
Aviation: Fares
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that air fares advertised by low-cost airlines accurately reflect the cost to the consumer. [283156]
Paul Clark: Regulation EC 1008/2008, which came into force last November, requires airlines to include in the advertised fare all applicable taxes, charges, surcharges and fees which are unavoidable and foreseeable at the time of publication. It also requires the existence of any optional price supplements to be clearly communicated at the start of the booking process. Department for Transport officials are working with the Civil Aviation Authority and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to establish an enforcement regime for the Regulation, which will include appropriate penalties for non-compliance. The OFT has also taken successful action on all-inclusive pricing by airlines under existing consumer protection legislation.
Multi-Purpose Test Centres
Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many multi-purpose test centres were (a) planned to be open and (b) open at the time of the introduction of the new motorcycle practical test. [282909]
Paul Clark: The Driving Standards Agency originally intended that a new single-event practical motorcycle test should be delivered from 66 multi-purpose test centres (MPTCs).
It was subsequently decided to split the new test into two modules with module 1 being the specific manoeuvres conducted off-road to ensure safety and module 2 the on-road riding test. This has allowed us to provide 88 per cent. of candidates access to one of the 66 centres offering module 1 testing within our target of 45 minutes or 20 miles, and 97 per cent. can reach one of the 105 centres offering the module 2 test at the same access standard.
When the new test was introduced on 27 April 2009, candidates were able to take their module 1 test at 66 facilities—44 MPTCs, six casual-hire sites, 16 part-time Vehicle Operator and Services Agency sites, and module 2 tests at 105 facilities—43 MPTCs, one casual-hire site; and 61 other suitable Driving Test Centres.
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many (a) collisions and (b) collisions causing injuries occurred during motorcycle driving tests in the calendar year up to 28 April 2009; and if he will make a statement. [283301]
Paul Clark: The Driving Standards Agency report information on collisions during motorcycle driving tests in the calendar year up to 28 April 2009 as follows:
| Period: 29 April 2008 to 28 April 2009 | |
| Number | |
Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what percentage of the population lives within 20 miles or 45 minutes travel of a multi-purpose test centre. [282910]
Paul Clark: The original plans for 66 centres would have enabled 83 per cent. of the population to reach a practical motorcycling testing facility within 45 minutes travelling or 20 miles.
Our decision to split the test into two modules enabled us to increase the number of service delivery points. When the new test was implemented on 27 April 2009, 88 per cent. could access a module 1 testing facility for the off-road element within the travel/distance criteria— 97 per cent. for module 2. The 5 per cent. difference between planned and actual coverage for the off-road element is accounted for by the actual, rather than the previously planned location of the new off road testing facilities.
Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many planning applications for multi-purpose test centres were refused by local planning committees. [282911]
Paul Clark: In total nine planning applications were refused and three were made and withdrawn following discussions with the local planning authorities.
There were numerous other informal discussions with local planning authorities about possible sites where the case did not progress to formal planning application.
Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of (a) the cost to date of developing and constructing multi-purpose test centres and (b) the cost of completing the remaining centres. [282912]
Paul Clark: The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has spent, up to the end of the 2008-09 financial year, a total of £51 million of capital funds (£49.29 million on new DSA permanent centres; £1.12 million on shared with Vehicle and Operator Services Agency sites and £600,000 on casual hire sites).
The forecast final capital spend is £71 million which is in line with the agreed programme business case and budget.
Public Transport: Hampshire
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much funding his Department has allocated for the purposes of improving public transport in (a) Test Valley Borough and (b) Southampton in the last 12 months. [283319]
Mr. Khan: The Department for Transport allocates integrated transport block and highways maintenance funding to local transport authorities for capital investment in transport. Funding provided by the Department to local authorities is not generally ring-fenced and local authorities have discretion to spend their allocations in line with their priorities, such as the provision of public transport. Spending in Test Valley is a matter for Hampshire county council as local transport authority. The table shows funding support for Hampshire and Southampton in 2008-09:
| 2008-09 | £ million |
Revenue expenditure on transport is generally supported through the Department for Communities and Local Government’s Formula Grant.
In 2008-09 and 2009-10 special grant funding is being provided by the Department for Transport to meet the additional cost of the new, England-wide concessionary bus travel. The allocations made to Test Valley and Southampton for 2008-09 is shown in the table:
| Concessionary fares funding 2008-09 | |
| £ million | |
Railways: Carbon Emissions
Charles Hendry: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the volume of carbon dioxide emissions arising from the operations of each rail franchise in the most recent period for which figures are available. [283256]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport does not hold data in the form requested. The rail industry reports its traction related carbon emissions annually to the Office of Rail Regulation.
In 2007-08, the most recent year for which figures are available, the rail industry reported combined freight and passenger traction carbon emissions of 3.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. Of this 2.7 million tonnes relates to passenger operations. This information is found in Rolling National Rail Trends 2008-09 on the Office of Rail Regulation website at:
Treasury
Banks: Loans
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of trends in levels of bank lending in the last six months. [282882]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In November 2008, the Chancellor set up a lending panel to monitor lending to the UK economy, and to promote best practice across the industry in dealing with borrowers facing financial difficulties. The Bank of England collects data covering aspects of lending to the UK corporate and household sectors on behalf of the lending panel and publishes a monthly trends in lending report. These reports provide an assessment of the latest developments in lending to the UK economy. The first report was published in April and the most recent report is available at:
Financial Services: Crime
Mark Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what recent discussions he has had with the Financial Services Authority on infiltration of financial services firms by criminal groups; [283374]
(2) what steps his Department is taking to prevent organised criminal groups from infiltrating financial services firms; and if he will make a statement. [283375]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Ministers and officials meet the FSA on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has a statutory objective under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 to reduce the extent to which it is possible for an authorised firm to be used for a purpose connected with financial crime. As part of that remit, the FSA has drawn attention to the financial crime risks posed by inadequate systems and controls for the recruitment of staff.
All directors of financial services firms are required to satisfy the FSA that they are "fit and proper persons" when they apply for authorisation, and on an ongoing basis. The suitability of each individual person who performs a controlled function will be assessed by the FSA under the approved persons regime. In certain circumstances, the FSA may consider that the firm is not suitable because of doubts over the individual or collective suitability of persons connected with the firm.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) also operate a fit and proper test for key individuals involved in the management and ownership of money service businesses and trust and company service businesses that must be registered with them for supervision under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007. If any key individual within the business is not found to be fit and proper, HMRC will not register the business and the business must not operate.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 4 December 2008 from the hon. Member for North East Hertfordshire (PO reference: 1/64303/2008). [277309]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: A reply has been sent to the hon. Member.
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to reply to the letter of 3 April 2009 from the hon. and learned Member for Harborough to the right hon. Member for Dudley South about Dr. R. and Mrs. W. Sindall of Oadby, Leicestershire. [280254]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry [holding answer 16 June 2009]: A reply has been sent to the hon. Member.
Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average waiting time for a caller to each of HM Revenue and Customs 0845 telephone numbers was in each of the last 12 months; how much the average call to such an 0845 number cost the caller in each of those months; and how many callers received a recorded message telling them to call back later after having been put on hold in each of those months. [280653]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 18 June 2009]: HMRC has in excess of 200 different 0845 numbers and cannot therefore provide waiting times for each of these numbers. The majority of calls to HMRC are centrally managed through contact centres and the performance data for these calls are aggregated by each tax/head of duty. In the last 12 months, customers calling the main lines of business waited, on average, the following minutes and seconds before their call was answered by an adviser.
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