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20 Jan 2010 : Column 341W—continued
Unpaid Fines: Local Government
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the contribution of Lord Brett, 7 December 2009, Official Report, House of Lords, column 907, on the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 Order 2009, what guidance is being given to local authorities on the use of new powers to collect unpaid (a) parking and (b) congestion charge fines. [311554]
Mr. Alan Campbell: As Lord Brett said in a written ministerial statement on 14 December 2009, Official Report, House of Lords, column WS211, the Government will be drafting a circular to be issued to all accredited financial investigators to clarify how the statutory powers in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 should be used.
Vetting: Councillors
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department's planned (a) comprehensive generic and (b) sector specific guidance on the Vetting and Barring scheme will make reference to (i) parish and (ii) town councillors. [310982]
Meg Hillier: It is intended that sector guidance on the vetting and barring scheme will include information relating to parish and town councillors.
Transport
Air Traffic Control
Graham Stringer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what plans he has to reduce the Government stake in UK Air Traffic Control; and if he will make a statement. [312064]
Paul Clark [holding answer 19 January 2010]: On 8 December the Government published the Operational Efficiency Programme: Asset Portfolio.
The portfolio includes a section on NATS which notes that in light of the impending expiry of the restrictions on the transfer of shares for NATS, it is appropriate for Government to engage with other shareholders who are likely to consider the shareholding options available to them.
No decision has been made by Government with regard to reducing its shareholding. Any options considered would be required to best meet the needs of the Company and its workforce, as well as shareholders.
Bus Services: Concessions
Hazel Blears: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the cost to his Department was of the provision of free off-peak bus travel to pensioners in the last 12 months. [312012]
Mr. Khan: Following the extension of the statutory bus concession in April 2008, to provide free off-peak local bus travel anywhere in England to older and eligible disabled people, the Department for Transport has provided additional special grant funding to local authorities of £212 million in 2008-09, and £217 million in 2009-10.
This is in addition to the funding that the Department for Communities and Local Government provides each year for concessionary travel through the formula grant process. Local authorities spent £990 million on concessionary travel (including their own discretionary enhancements) in 2008-09.
Departmental Correspondence
Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what his Department's policy is on the retention of (a) electronic and (b) paper correspondence sent and received by Ministers and officials in his Department; how long such electronic communication is retained on IT hardware; whether such files are (i) archived and (ii) backed up; and at what point such files are deleted. [312096]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport's policy on the retention of electronic and paper correspondence follows the records management standards set by The National Archives.
Specifically, the Department's records management guidance states that all electronic documents that form part of the official record keeping system should be
placed in Approved File Plans (AFPs). AFP files must have an agreed retention period, approved by the departmental records officer. Only business critical papers that cannot be saved electronically in AFPs or records marked with a security or privacy classification should be stored on registered paper files.
The guidance also states that information that does not need to be kept as part of the Department's formal record keeping system should be disposed of as soon as possible in a manner appropriate to its contents.
A back-up of the Department's electronic communications servers is produced each day. These back-ups are kept for three months.
Departmental Internet
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much has been spent on (a) strategy and planning, (b) design and build, (c) hosting and infrastructure, (d) content provision and (e) testing and evaluation for his Department's websites in each of the last three years; and how much has been allocated for each such category of expenditure in 2009-10. [310759]
Chris Mole: Tables have been placed in the Libraries of the House showing websites operated over the last three years and their operating costs. Costs provided are total external costs and do not include internal staff costs. It is not possible to provide categorised costs as requested without incurring disproportionate costs. Costs provided for 2009-10 are anticipated operating costs.
Where annual operating costs are not available this is due to a number of reasons; either the site has not existed for the past three years; the costs are part of a much larger contract and cannot be itemised; or the costs cannot be calculated without incurring disproportionate costs.
The Department for Transport measures website costs in line with the guidance issued by the Central Office of Information, 'Measuring website costs (TG128)', starting in this financial year 2009-10, and will collate data at year end.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will list, and quantify, those items of expenditure which since April 2009 have been reallocated to be off balance sheet transactions, pursuant to advice received from HM Treasury. [311178]
Chris Mole: Since April 2009, there have been no balances or transactions that were recorded on-balance sheet in the consolidated accounts for the year ended 31 March 2009 that have been reallocated off-balance sheet for the purposes of the Department for Transport's consolidated resource accounts, pursuant to advice received from HM Treasury.
Departmental Training
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many sessions of media training were organised for Ministers in his Department in each of the last three years. [311515]
Chris Mole: Training is provided to Ministers on a range of issues including handling the media, as part of their induction and continuing development in order to carry out their duties effectively under the ministerial code.
Heathrow Airport
Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on what date and by what means the decision was taken to hold the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation over a 14-week period; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) minutes of meetings and (b) correspondence in which the duration of the consultation was discussed. [312097]
Paul Clark: The Government's Code of Practice on Written Consultation recommends 12 weeks as the standard minimum period for consultation, but notes this should take account of circumstances, including whether it spans a substantial holiday period. The 14 week period for the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation in November 2007 reflected that guidance and was confirmed by the then Secretary of State, the right hon. Member for Bolton, West (Ruth Kelly) and proposed in her letter to Cabinet colleagues on 1 October 2007 seeking clearance to the consultation. Clearance was given on 12 November 2007.
London-Glasgow Railway Line
Ms Katy Clark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what role the Scottish Executive and Transport Scotland have in deciding on the provision of direct London to Glasgow rail services. [309030]
Chris Mole: The level of direct train services between London and Glasgow is specified by the Secretary of State for Transport, taking into account non-binding advice provided by Scottish Ministers.
M1: East Midlands
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he expects the road widening works north of junction 25 on the M1 motorway to be completed and the temporary speed restriction removed; and if he will make a statement. [311732]
Chris Mole: The M1 junctions 25 to 28 widening works are programmed to complete in October 2010.
The temporary speed restriction will be removed on completion of the works.
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many people were on site and working on the roadworks taking place on the M1 motorway between junctions 25 and 28 on (a) 4, (b) 5, (c) 6 and (d) 7 January 2010; and if he will take steps to expedite the completion of these works. [311733]
Chris Mole: The numbers of operatives working on the roadworks for the M1 junctions 25 to 28 project on the 4, 5, 6 and 7 January 2010 were as follows:
(a) 4 January-198 of which 65 were visible on work site;
(b) 5 January-149 of which 11 were visible on work site;
(c) 6 January-157 of which 11 were visible on work site;
(d) 7 January-158 of which 13 were visible on work site.
On the days mentioned above, the freezing weather conditions restricted safe access and exit within the work area. Much of the work was weather dependent and could not be done during freezing temperatures.
The project is making good progress and the Highways Agency expect to finish the work as planned in October 2010.
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what cameras are scheduled to be installed on the M1 motorway in Nottinghamshire in the vicinity of junction 26; for what purpose such cameras will be used; on what date he expects such cameras to become operational; and if he will make a statement. [311734]
Chris Mole: Consideration is currently being given to proposals for introducing variable mandatory speed limits on the M1 motorway between junctions 25 and 28.
A consultation exercise would be undertaken before a decision would be made to introduce the variable mandatory speed limits.
I expect to make an announcement on this in the near future.
Olympic Games: Canada
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department are planning to attend the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in February 2010; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such attendance. [310845]
Mr. Khan: Since 1999 the Government has published on an annual basis a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. From 2007-08 the list was extended to include all Ministers. The list also provides information on the number of officials who accompany Ministers. Copies are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2009-10 will be published as soon as the information is available.
All travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the 'Ministerial Code' and 'Civil Service Management Code' respectively.
Railways: Capital Allowances
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what discussions he had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer prior to his decision to reduce capital allowances for railway assets; and what assessment he has made of the effect of this decision on the railway industry. [311190]
Chris Mole:
The exemption for the rail industry from the long life assets regime for capital allowances has been in place since 1997 and was always time-limited. Thus, expenditure incurred after 1 January 2011 on railway assets which have a life of greater than 25 years will be subject to the normal long life assets' rate. The expiry of the exemption is not expected to have a
significant effect on the rail industry, where long-term operating costs are factored into the long-term investment decisions that are typical in this sector.
Railways: Timetables
Alun Michael: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will require train operating companies to take further steps to make readily available to the public accurate information on the definition of (a) off-peak and (b) variations to off-peak times, with particular reference to super off-peak times. [311471]
Chris Mole: Train operators publicise their ticket restrictions on their websites. Most also take information feeds relating to fares from National Rail Enquiries who I understand are exploring possible solutions to providing this information. The train operators' ticket office staff have access to systems that make these restrictions clear and sell the appropriate tickets to passengers for use on trains.
Alun Michael: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will require National Rail Enquiries to take further steps to make readily available on its website information on the definition of (a) off-peak and (b) variations to off-peak times, with particular reference to super off-peak times. [311472]
Chris Mole: National Rail Enquiries (NRE) is working to improve information services and recently released a revamped website. Enhancing information on off peak and super off peak validity is an agreed goal. However, work will be required to ensure precise ticket time restrictions are accurately selected to meet every passenger inquiry, and then be displayed in an understandable form.
Roads: Accidents
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many and what proportion of drivers involved in road traffic accidents did not have (a) insurance, (b) a valid MOT certificate and (c) a driver's licence in each of the last three years. [311726]
Paul Clark: The information requested is not collected centrally.
In 2003 the Department for Transport published a research report on unlicensed driving which included an estimate for the number of personal injury road accidents that involved a driver found guilty of driving without a licence. The report is available at:
Roads: Snow and Ice
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what his most recent estimate is of the amount of salt held by local highway authorities in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Coventry. [311451]
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