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11 Jan 2010 : Column 659W—continued
Graham Stringer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will assess the compatibility with child protection legislation of the operation of full body scanners in UK airports; and if he will make a statement. [309952]
Paul Clark: The introduction of the scanners is a necessary additional measure in response to the heightened threat to the travelling public. Their application to passengers including children, with the proposed safeguards as to their use, is a proportionate response to the heightened threat. The use of body scanners is compatible with the Protection of Children Act 1978. The use of scanners will be subject to a code of practice which is being developed by the Department for Transport and airport operators.
Graham Stringer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what funding his Department plans to make available to UK airports for the installation of full body scanners. [309953]
Paul Clark: The funding of body scanners will be a matter for airport operators.
Graham Stringer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he plans to issue guidance on operating the full body scanners proposed to be installed at UK airports. [309954]
Paul Clark: The code of practice is under urgent development and will be finalised as soon as possible.
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether the body scanners to be deployed at airports will use passive millimetre wave technology. [310145]
Paul Clark: No. The body scanners to be deployed at UK airports will use either active millimetre wave or backscatter technology.
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether individuals who wish not to use body scanners at airports will be able to opt for a manual pat down search. [310146]
Paul Clark: No. Individuals who are asked to use the body scanner but decline to do so will not be permitted to fly.
Aviation: Snow and Ice
Danny Alexander: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) what steps he has taken to ensure an adequate supply of airport and aircraft de-icing fluid during the current cold weather; [309730]
(2) what monitoring his Department undertakes of the availability of aircraft and airport de-icing fluid; [309801]
(3) what recent assessment he has made of the level of risk to transport (a) within and (b) departing from the UK of shortages in the availability of airport and aircraft de-icing fluid. [309802]
Paul Clark: Sourcing of sufficient quantities of airport surface and airframe de-icer compounds are commercial matters for privately-owned airport operators and airlines, with the relevant suppliers. The Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority have, however, been in contact with airport operators and airlines throughout the period of severe weather to monitor the operation of the supply chain. The Department has also agreed to a temporary and limited relaxation of the enforcement of EU drivers' hours and working-time rules, up to the end of Monday 11 January, for those hauliers involved in the distribution of de-icer products direct to airports.
Buses: Concessions
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many (a) over-60 year olds and (b) disabled people resident in Tamworth constituency made use of free off-peak bus travel in the latest period for which figures are available. [309656]
Mr. Khan: The Department for Transport is not responsible for issuing passes and so does not maintain records of how many passes individual authorities have issued.
Tamworth is part of the Staffordshire county concessionary travel scheme. The last information held by the Department was that as of 17 April 2009, the Staffordshire county scheme had issued 125,787 of the new smartcard concessionary passes. This includes passes issued to disabled people as well as those aged 60 and over as the Department does not have a breakdown of figures.
Corby Station
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many passengers (a) boarded and (b) alighted from trains at Corby railway station on each day since 8 September 2009. [309632]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport does not hold the requested information on passengers using Corby railway station.
This is a matter for the train operator, East Midlands Trains, which provides services to and from Corby. East Midlands Trains can be contacted at the following address:
Mr. Tim Shoveller
Managing Director
East Midlands Trains
1 Prospect Place
Millennium Way
Pride Park
Derby
DE24 8HG
Departmental Legislation
Chris Huhne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what criminal offences have been (a) created and (b) abolished by secondary legislation sponsored by his Department since 1 May 2008. [307794]
Chris Mole: A table setting out the title of each piece of secondary legislation creating an offence within the scope of the question, the number of offences created by that piece of legislation and a general description of the offences is listed as follows.
More detail about the offences created and information about offences that have been abolished (other than in respect of the revocation of the Air Navigation Order 2005 (see as follows)) could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Offences contained in the Air Navigation Order 2005 were abolished when that Order was replaced by the Air Navigation Order 2009 (see the entry for the Air Navigation (Amendment) Order 2009 in the table).
While all reasonable efforts have been made by the Department to ascertain what offences have been created by secondary legislation since 1 May 2008, it is impossible to guarantee that every new offence has been noted in the enclosed table without incurring disproportionate cost in terms of officials' time. For example: where an instrument extends an existing provision to cover a new situation it might not be apparent that an offence was involved without further research and this would require a significant amount of time.
Departmental Training
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies spent on away days in the last 12 months; and what the (i) subject and (ii) location of each away day was. [308674]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport can only provide the cost, subject and location of away days for the last 12 months by incurring disproportionate costs.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Databases
Bob Russell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on how many occasions the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency database was accessed by (a) police forces, (b) other public agencies and (c) private companies in each of the last five financial years; and what estimate he has made of the number of such requests which will be made in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11. [309720]
Paul Clark: The information requested is not held in the format requested.
Bob Russell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what his policy is on allowing private companies access to information on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency database for commercial purposes. [309722]
Paul Clark: Information held on the 'driver' record may only be disclosed to private companies for commercial purposes with the explicit consent of the individual and when there is a demonstrable need to confirm an entitlement to drive. For example, when hiring a vehicle or driving as a condition of employment.
Information held on the 'vehicle' record may be disclosed under provisions of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002. This provides for the release of information to those who can demonstrate "reasonable cause" to require it, such as an issue around the vehicle and its use. Disclosure generally results from incidents where the motorist has incurred some form of liability. It is recognised that motorists have an obligation to comply with road traffic and other regulations when using a vehicle and to act responsibly and with consideration for other road users, pedestrians and landowners in doing so.
Any private car parking company seeking information about the keeper of a specific vehicle must be a member of a DVLA Accredited Trade Association and conform to its code of practice. DVLA provides vehicle data, containing no personal details, to commercial customers for statistical use and to provide vehicle check services to consumers when purchasing a second-hand vehicle or parts for their current vehicle.
Information is also supplied to assist in safety recalls from time to time.
All disclosures of information are made in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection and Human Rights Acts. Requests for information are subject to audit to ensure they respect agreements and legislation.
Bob Russell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which (a) police forces, (b) other public agencies and (c) private companies are permitted access to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency database to obtain (i) details of vehicle registration numbers, (ii) names of licence holders and (iii) private addresses of licence holders. [309723]
Paul Clark: No organisation has direct access into the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) records.
Information from both the driver and vehicle record is provided daily to the National Police Improvement Agency for inclusion on the Police National Computer system for use by all police forces. All other requests for information are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Private addresses of driving licence holders may be provided to public agencies with the consent of the individual or if they have a statutory right to it e.g. HM Revenue and Customs, the Child Support Agency and the Department for Work and Pensions. These requests generally relate to law enforcement activities.
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