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5 Jan 2010 : Column 86W—continued
Waste Disposal: Fixed Penalties
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fixed penalty notices for household waste offences were issued in each Government Office region in each of the last three years. [308744]
Dan Norris: DEFRA does not hold such information.
Mr. Stewart Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information (a) his Department and (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme holds on those local
authorities which have used their powers to fine households for breaching a (A) no side waste collection policy and (B) closed lid policy. [308767]
Dan Norris: Neither DEFRA nor the Waste and Resources Action programme hold the information requested.
Whales: Conservation
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to update his Department's document "Protecting whales-a global responsibility" prior to the International Whaling Commission in June 2010; and if he will make a statement. [307287]
Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA's publication "Protecting whales-a global responsibility" sets out the ecological, economic and moral arguments for protecting whales. Since its publication in 2007, the UK's position on whaling has remained strong and we continue to support the arguments set out in the publication.
The main objectives of the publication were to raise awareness of the situation in the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and persuade 'like-minded' conservation countries of the merits of joining the organisation. Both these objectives have been achieved with a number of 'like-minded' conservation minded countries recently joining the IWC.
An update of the publication "Protecting whales-a global responsibility" will be considered following the outcome of the discussions on the reform of the IWC currently taking place.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on whaling in the last 12 months; whether he plans to hold further such discussions before the 2010 International Whaling Commission meeting; and if he will make a statement. [307296]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Following last year's International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting, I wrote to all hon. Members, which included a report on the latest developments within the IWC. I will write again in the build-up to this year's meeting.
In June 2009, I also met the hon. Peter Garrett, MP, Australian Minister for the Environment, to discuss whaling and the IWC.
Prime Minister
Government Departments: Cost-effectiveness
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister how many staff worked on the Operational Efficiency Programme; how many (a) meetings and (b) video conferences were held as part of the work of the programme; how much was spent on travel costs for the programme's advisers to attend meetings; and how much was spent on the programme. [307370]
Mr. Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
The operational efficiency programme final report was the product of work led by five advisers: Dr. Martin Read, Mr. Martin Jay, Mr. Gerry Grimstone, Lord
Carter of Coles and Sir Michael Bichard. They worked without pay, but their expenses were recoverable. They were supported by a team based from HM Treasury. At its peak this team numbered 12. Given the cross-cutting nature of the review and the number of organisations involved, HM Treasury does not centrally hold figures showing the total cost, number of meetings or number of video-conferences held.
Non-Departmental Public Bodies
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister what arms-length bodies the Government plans to abolish, with reference to page 54 of "Putting the Front Line First: Smarter Government", Cm 7753. [307575]
Mr. Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
The recent White Paper "Putting the Frontline First: Smarter Government" pledged to reduce the number of arm's length bodies by over 120. The bodies that are affected, subject to the necessary legislation and consultation required, are as follows:
15 Agricultural Wages Committees in England.
16 Agricultural Dwelling House Advisory Committees in England are being abolished.
The number of Advisory Committees for the Appointment of Justices of the Peace will be reduced from 101 to 49.
Four Court Boards will be removed by 1 April 2010, reducing them from 23 to 19 in line with new court regional areas.
Her Majesty's Courts Inspectorate is to be abolished.
The Sentencing Advisory Panel and Sentencing Guidelines Council will be merged.
The Postgraduate Medical Education Training Board is being merged with the General Medical Council.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is committed to reducing by 30 or more the number of separate publicly funded sector skills bodies over the next three years. Individual bodies have not yet been confirmed, but further details can be seen in chapter 6 of the BIS "Skills for Growth" White Paper (CM 7641 )(1).
Four museums sponsored by the Ministry of Defence are being merged into the new National Museum of the Royal Navy-the separate museums are:
Royal Marines Museum
Royal Naval Museum
Royal Naval Submarine Museum
Fleet Air Arm.
In total this represents a reduction of 123 separate arm's length bodies. In Budget 2010 there will be a further report on arm's length bodies, which will include further mergers and reductions of bodies. We will also announce ALB governance reforms, which will set out a tougher regime for establishing new bodies, and drive out value for money and efficiencies from the sector as a whole.
(1) Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (November 2009), "Skills For Growth: The National Skills Strategy". London: the Stationary Office (CM 7641).
Public Sector: Procurement
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister whether his planned consultation on Smarter Government will include proposals on access to data held on the monetary value of contracts let by or on behalf of the Government with private sector (a) consultants and (b) contractors. [307372]
Mr. Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
Treasury officials are currently in the process of putting together proposals on publishing further financial data. These proposals will be agreed with Ministers prior to the launch of the consultation.
Transport
Cars: Licensing
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many cars have ceased to be licensed in each year since 1985. [307033]
Paul Clark: The following table gives annual estimates of the number of registration marks that were on a car which ceased to be licensed, or which underwent a "cherished transfer" to another vehicle. Data are not available prior to 1995.
| Number of car registration marks that ceased to be licensed | Estimated number of "cherished transfers" of car registration marks to other vehicles | |
| Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. | ||
The first data column counts cars that were not licensed at the end of the years shown, but whose registration mark was licensed (possibly on another vehicle) 12 months earlier. The vehicles that have become unlicensed may have been scrapped, exported or otherwise taken off the road. However, it is possible for unlicensed vehicles to become relicensed again in later years.
The second data column counts the number of "cherished transfers" of registration marks from cars to other vehicles in the years shown. However, cherished transfer registration marks which are held on retention (rather than being transferred directly to other vehicles) are counted in the first column. The available data do not record what happened to vehicles whose registration mark was the subject of a cherished transfer. Some such vehicles would have been taken off the road, but others would have received a new registration mark and been relicensed. The figures are presented as rounded estimates, rather than exact counts, in view of this uncertainty.
Christmas
David T.C. Davies:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many Christmas trees were purchased by his Department and its agencies in each of the last five years; what the cost was of those trees in each year; from where the trees were sourced;
what account was taken of the sustainability of the sources of the trees; and by what process the trees were disposed of. [305635]
Chris Mole: The information requested for the whole Department, including its agencies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department has budgeted for Christmas trees in 2009. [307653]
Chris Mole [holding answer 15 December 2009]: The information requested for the whole Department, including its agencies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether the hours during which tariffs may be charged for motorists' use of the Dartford-Thurrock Crossing are (a) determined by a European Union directive and (b) constrained for the purposes of congestion management; and if he will make a statement. [305758]
Mr. Khan: The charge at the Dartford Crossing is a road user charge designed to combat traffic congestion. Although current EU directives apply to certain tolls and user charges in the UK, none apply so as to determine the hours during which the road user charge at Dartford may apply. The road user charge applies between 6 am and 10 pm when traffic levels generally exceed the crossing's capacity. There is no charge during the hours of 10 pm to 6 am to encourage traffic to avoid peak times.
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Willis: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many residential properties his Department owns; and how many (a) are occupied and (b) have been empty for more than six months. [304001]
Chris Mole: The Driving Standards Agency and the Highways Agency own residential properties.
The Driving Standards Agency owns the freehold of two residential flats situated above a Driving Test Centre. The flats are let on long leases (circa 80 years), and both are occupied.
The Highways Agency owns 428 residential properties, of which 325 are occupied.
103 have been empty for more than six months.
Six currently are being marketed to let.
Four properties are awaiting demolition.
34 are vacant in the disposal process.
Two properties are un-lettable because they are inaccessible due to road construction works.
44 are vacant awaiting repair. 26 of these are in an improvement programme for this financial year and will be available to let by 31 March 2010. The remaining 18 will be considered for improvement in 2010-11.
13 properties are beyond economic repair.
Departmental Conferences
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many (a) away days and (b) conferences that took place outside his Department's building attended by civil servants in his Department there have been since 2005; and what the cost was of each. [307514]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport can only provide the detail of away days and conferences held outside the Department's building attended by civil servants since 2005 by incurring disproportionate costs.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many staff of his Department were in its redeployment pool on 1 (a) January, (b) April, (c) July and (d) October 2009. [306712]
Chris Mole: The Central Department and its Agencies recorded the following number of individuals in our respective redeployment pools in each of (a) January, (b) April, (c) July and (d) October 2009:
| Total number of staff in redeployment pool | |
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