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13 Oct 2009 : Column 780W—continued
Minimum Wage: Apprentices
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment she has made of the merits of applying the national minimum wage to apprentices. [290989]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 14 September 2009]: I have been asked to reply.
The effects of the NMW on younger workers need to be considered carefully to avoid damaging incentives between education and work and ensure the employment prospects of younger workers are not adversely affected.
We know that young workers experience substantially worse unemployment and employment rates than adults. Both are more sensitive to the economic cycle. That is why the Low Pay Commission recommended a separate youth rate from the outset in 1999 and continues to believe there is a case for retaining them. Government and the LPC are concerned that removing the youth rates could adversely affect employment levels for this group. Earlier this year, the LPC recommended that 21-year-olds be entitled to the adult minimum wage. We have accepted this recommendation but, given the current economic conditions, stated that this change will be implemented from October 2010.
House of Commons Commission
Members: Email
Mr. Hurd: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) of 24 April 2009, Official Report, column 948W, on Members: email, whether hon. Members' staff are permitted to install on parliamentary computers the encryption software recommended by Parliamentary Information and Communication Technology service. [288673]
Mr. Hurd: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) of 2 March 2009, Official Report, column 1212W, on Members: email, if the Commission will introduce remote access software with which Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) software is compatible to ensure that PGP software can be used on hon. Members' computers. [288675]
Nick Harvey: No, as the product is not compatible with software in use by Parliament.
Members: Security
John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if the House of Commons Commission will publish a list of the names of parliamentary passholders sponsored by each hon. Member before the start of the next parliamentary session. [292083]
Nick Harvey: The names of parliamentary passholders are the individuals' personal data. Disclosing these names would pose an unacceptable risk to the health and safety of the individuals. Some information on Members' staff (paid and unpaid) is available within the public Register of Interests:
Visits
John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the estimated marginal cost of opening Parliament for visitors during the summer adjournment was in 2008; and how much income was received from paying visitors during that period. [292017]
Nick Harvey: The cost of running the summer opening programme in 2008 was £736,026 and the income received from paying visitors was £733,783.
The summer opening programme runs as a cost-neutral (self-financing) operation, the strategy being to break even over a three-year period. The current three-year period, for this purpose, is 2007-09.
Transport
Aviation: Fees and Charges
Mr. Swire: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what discussions he has had with (a) BAA plc and (b) the Manchester Airport Group on the change to its methodology for aeronautical charges levied on airlines; and if he will make a statement. [292407]
Paul Clark: Oversight of the level of airport charges at price-controlled airports (currently Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted) is normally a matter for the Civil Aviation Authority. However, as part of the Department's review of the economic regulation of airports officials have taken evidence from BAA, MAG and a number of other stakeholders (including other airports, airlines, and consumer representation bodies). We expect to announce the findings of the review later this year.
Aviation: Security
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will make it his policy to seek (a) additional powers for airport security personnel and (b) the creation of new and more specific offences in order to protect airline crews and passengers from bad behaviour by other passengers; and if he will make a statement. [292509]
Paul Clark: The information is as follows:
(a) All passengers entering the restricted zone of an airport are subject to screening and searching procedures; these procedures are conducted with the consent of the traveller. Failure by the passenger to undertake this requirement will result in refusal of entry into the restricted zone and aircraft. Security personnel are not state employees and do not have the same powers as control authorities (police and UK Border Agency); they operate by consent only. Where airport security personnel require support from enforcement powers they can request assistance from control authorities.
(b) There is already a range of specific offences related to disruptive passenger behaviour on board aircraft. We consider that existing policy and legislative penalties are sufficient to deal with such behaviour.
Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many times tolls have been suspended at the Dartford Crossing in the last 12 months. [292444]
Mr. Khan: The charges/tolls have been suspended on four occasions since 1 October 2008.
Three suspensions were planned overnight power outages for two hours each. The fourth occasion was for five and a half hours during a major power failure across south-east London.
Employment Tribunals Service
Justine Greening:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many times his Department has been taken to an employment tribunal in each of the last five years; what the reason cited in each case
was; and in how many cases the tribunal found in favour of the (a) employee and (b) Department. [290590]
Chris Mole: The total number of employment tribunal cases in each of the last five years is broken down in the table following below and also include figures to date for 2009-10:
| Financial year | Number | Withdrawn | Settled | Ongoing | Found in favour of (a) employee | Found in favour of (b) Department |
| (1) Information withheld on grounds of confidentiality as less than five. | ||||||
The cases above have not been broken down further by category in order to protect the confidentiality of the persons concerned. However, claims include unfair dismissal, sex, race and disability discrimination, declined applications of statutory flexible working requests and unlawful deduction from wages claims.
Overall, 23 were contested and decided at a full hearing of the Employment Tribunal.
Government Departments: Official Cars
John Mann: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which Minister with a Government car recorded the lowest average daily mileage in that car in the year to 31 March 2009. [291998]
Paul Clark: The Government Car and Despatch Agency is responsible for providing ministerial cars. It does not record individual journey information and so is unable to calculate how much use each Minister has made of their official car and could provide an answer only at a disproportionate cost.
Rolling Stock
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many of the additional rail carriages announced in the 2007 Rail White Paper have been ordered; and what the timetable is for the ordering of the remainder. [290299]
Chris Mole: 543 new vehicles have been ordered to date.
Following the Government's electrification announcement on 23 July the requirements for rolling stock have been radically altered. We will be publishing an updated Rolling Stock Plan setting out a revised strategy in the autumn.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Landfill: Pollution
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the effects on public health of leakage from landfill sites into aquifers. [292109]
Dan Norris [holding answer 12 October 2009]: No recent specific assessment has been made by DEFRA on leakage from landfills into aquifers.
Landfills are subject to strict permitting requirements under European and domestic legislation concerning their location, design, operation, closure and aftercare in order to prevent harm to human health and the environment.
In 2004, the Government published a report that assessed the environmental and health effects of different types of waste management facilities. It looked at leakages from municipal solid waste landfills to surface water and groundwater. It stated:
"While the lack of data means that the numbers themselves are of poor quality, they indicate that emissions from waste management are a very small proportion of total UK emissions".
Waste Disposal: Greater Manchester
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what provision has been made by the Government for the underwriting of the recently-agreed Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority private finance initiative scheme. [291994]
Dan Norris: DEFRA has made no provision for the Government to underwrite the recently agreed Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) private finance initiative (PFI) scheme. DEFRA has, however, provided £124,500,000 of PFI credits which assist GMWDA payment obligations under the contract itself. These payments made by GMWDA would only be made for services actually received.
Waste Management
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with (a) London and (b) Greater Manchester waste authorities on their strategic waste management policies in respect of (i) site management of waste, (ii) locations of waste management sites and (iii) the combination of waste technologies selected. [291991]
Dan Norris: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spoke to the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority about the work they are doing on waste management when he went to Manchester on 24 September. Helen Ghosh, DEFRA's permanent secretary, also visited the Waithlands Recycling Centre in Greater Manchester on 5 August.
No recent discussions have been held with the London waste authorities.
Waste: Renewable Energy
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities have embarked on local consultation on their energy-from-waste strategy since the publication of the UK Renewable Energy Strategy. [291986]
Dan Norris: In order for a local authority to submit an outline business case (OBC) to request private finance initiative (PFI) credits, they must have embarked upon a public consultation exercise.
Since the publication of the UK Renewable Energy Strategy, DEFRA has not received any new OBCs, therefore we are not aware of any consultations.
Water: Meters
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many water meters were installed in residential dwellings by water supply companies in each water supply area in each of the last three years. [289271]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The following table sets out the number of meters water supply companies have installed in households in the last three years.
| Total household meters installed each year | |||
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | |
| Source: Ofwat. | |||
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