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10 Nov 2009 : Column 198W

Cycling

Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many cycling officers there are in each local authority. [298951]

Mr. Khan: This is a matter for individual local authorities and no information is held centrally.

Cycling: Finance

Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what settlements have been designated as cycling communities; and how much funding his Department has allocated to each since their designation. [298953]

Mr. Khan: The Department for Transport funds 18 "Cycle Cities and Towns" through Cycling England. The first phase of the Cycling Demonstration Towns programme, from 2005 to 2008, saw six towns across England receive European levels of funding to significantly increase their cycling levels. Aylesbury, Brighton and Hove, Darlington, Derby, Exeter and Lancaster with Morecambe collectively received over £7 million from Cycling England across three years, plus local match-funding, to deliver a range of measures designed to get more people cycling.

In June 2008, Cycling England announced Greater Bristol as the England's first official Cycling City, together with a further 11 Cycling Towns across England. The new city and towns, together with the original six, benefit from a share of £55 million of Departmental funding (match funded by the local authority) to pioneer innovative ways to increase cycling in their areas. The table includes £3 million additional funding for 2009-10 announced on 9 November 2009.

Local authorities will be match funding these grants bringing the total funding to over £100 million.

Cycle city or towns - funding (£) by financial year:
City or Town	Local authority	2005-08 (1 Nov 2005 to 31 March 20 0 8)	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	Total 2008-11
Aylesbury	Buckinghamshire	765,000	461,632	300,000	300,000	1,603,632
Blackpool	Blackpool	-	400,000	1,295,000	1,285,000	3,715,000
Brighton and Hove	Brighton and Hove	1,389,500	416,477	655,000	535,000	1,876,477
Cambridge	Cambridgeshire	-	1,208,4 94	5,285,000	5,085,000	11,578,49 4
Chester	Cheshire	-	500,000	1,615,000	1,615,000	3,810,000
Colchester	Colchester	-	242,397	1,075,000	1,065,000	2,382,397
Darlington	Darlington	1,148,710	349,999	975,000	965,000	2,289,999
Derby	Derby	1,300,000	501,879	500,000	500,000	1,571,879
Exeter	Devon	1,559,500	595,958	500,000	500,000	1,770,958
Greater Bristol	Bristol City and South Gloucestershire		751,040	760,500	760,500	2,470,040
Lancaster with Morecambe	Lancashire	1,309,200	500,000	500,000	500,000	1,700,000
Leighton-Linslade	Central Bedfordshire	-	567,138	366,000	355,100	1,645,738
Shrewsbury	Shropshire	-	600,000	665,000	665,000	2,065,000
Southend	Southend	-	399,760	1,495,000	1,485,000	3,479,760
Southport and Ainsdale	Sefton Borough Council	-	299,622	825,000	815,000	2,189,622
Stoke	Stoke on Trent	-	880,001	2,075,000	2,065,000	5,020,001
Woking	Surrey	-	366,417	823,000	813,000	2,126,417
York	York City Council	-	535,029	1,620,000	1,655,000	3,810,029
Total		7,471,910	9,575,8 44	21,329,50 0	20,963,60 0	55,105,44 4

10 Nov 2009 : Column 199W

Links to schools

The Department provides funding to local authorities for the Links to Schools programme through Sustrans. The purpose of the funding is to encourage children to walk and cycle to school. Links to school is a nationwide programme not directly linked to the cycle town projects.

Links to school funding (£) in cycle towns:
Local Authority	2005-6	2006-7	2007-8
Derby City	60,000	156,000	-
Darlington	35,000	-	-
Lancaster	-	-	100,000
Brighton	70,000	-	-
Exeter City Council	50,000	38,230	-

Cycle Training Grants

For 2009-10 a specific grant was set up for cycle training in cycle city and towns. Before that year, cycle towns could not bid for cycle training funding.

Cycle demonstration towns cycle training funding 2009-10
	Grant award (£)	Number of training places
Aylesbury	40,000.00	1,000
Blackpool	32,400.00	900
Brighton and Hove	30,000.00	1,000
Cambridge	22,480.00	562
Chester Council	28,320.00	708
Colchester	27,360.00	684
Darlington	16,920.00	423
Derby	80,000.00	2,000
Exeter	21,440.00	536
Lancaster	15,000.00	375
Leighton Linslade	63,000.00	1,575
Southend on Sea	31,104.00	972
Southport	25,600.00	640
Stoke	72,000.00	1,800
York	16,320.00	480

Local Transport Plan funding

The Department also allocates integrated transport block and highways maintenance funding to local transport authorities for general capital investment in transport. This funding is not ring-fenced and local authorities have discretion to spend their allocations in line with their priorities.

Departmental Air Travel

Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many first-class flights were taken by each Minister in his Department in 2008-09; and what the (a) origin, (b) destination and (c) cost was of each such flight. [298746]

Chris Mole: No first-class air travel was undertaken by Department for Transport Ministers in 2008-09. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code. The annual list of Ministers' overseas travel costing more than £500 for 2008-09 can be accessed at:

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/226022/travel_2008_2009.pdf

10 Nov 2009 : Column 200W

Departmental Data Protection

Mrs. Laing: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether his Department's information assurance procedures have been subject to an independent audit. [299383]

Chris Mole: Three of the Department for Transport's Agencies-the Driving Standards Agency, the Vehicle Operator Services Agency and the Driver and the Vehicle Licensing Agency have been subject to independent assessment by CESG (the national technical authority for information assurance), of their information assurance procedures. The central Department will be subject to an independent assessment as part of its annual reporting processes to Cabinet Office in 2009-10.

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