Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 21 January 2010
Transport
Aircraft
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what information his Department holds on the average weight of aeroplanes departing from UK airports in each of the last five years. [312502]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not hold this information.
Departmental Internet
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which websites his Department's staff are prevented from accessing from departmental networked computers. [311841]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport has an acceptable use policy that restricts unsuitable websites. It is not practical to list all individual blocked websites due to the numbers involved, but the main categories blocked by the Department and its agencies are as follows:
Adult or sexually explicit (including pornography, nudity and intimate apparel)
Crime and violence (including weapons, hate crime, historical revisionism and profanity)
Drugs, alcohol and tobacco
Gambling
Personal (including dating, social networking, chat, messaging, lifestyle and auctions)
Remote proxies
Entertainment/culture (including internet TV/radio, streaming media and media downloads/sharing).
Departmental Pay
Dr. Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many staff in his Department received bonus payments in 2008-09; what proportion of the total workforce they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid was; what the largest single payment was; and if he will make a statement. [300566]
Chris Mole: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given today to the hon. Member for Ilford, North (Mr. Scott), which shows how many staff received a non-consolidated variable pay award, what proportion of the total work force they represented and what the total amount of non-consolidated variable payments was.
The largest single non-consolidated variable payment was £15,000.
Mr. Scott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much has been paid in bonuses to civil servants in his Department in each year since 2003. [306462]
Chris Mole: An element of the Department for Transport's overall pay award is allocated to non-consolidated variable pay related to performance. These payments are used to drive high performance and form part of the pay award for members of staff who demonstrate exceptional performance, for example by exceeding targets set or meeting challenging objectives.
Non-consolidated variable pay awards are funded from within existing pay bill controls, and have to be re-earned each year against pre-determined targets and, as such, do not add to future pay bill costs. The percentage of the pay bill set aside for performance-related awards for the SCS is based on recommendations from the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.
The following table details how many people were eligible for and received a non-consolidated variable pay award, awarded under the Department for Transport's standard pay and performance management process for the last six performance years. It also details the wages and salaries as published in the departmental resource accounts.
| Performance year | Number of staff | Total number of awards | Value of non-consolidated performance payments (£) | Wages and salaries for the year (£) | Non-consolidated performance payments as percentage of wages and salaries |
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many (a) year-end and (b) in-year bonuses were paid to officials in his Department in each of the last three years; and how much was paid in such bonuses in each such year. [307102]
Chris Mole: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given today to the hon. Member for Ilford, North (Mr. Scott), which shows how many non-consolidated variable pay awards were paid, and what the total amount of non-consolidated variable payments was for the last three years.
Driving Offences: Chelmsford
Mr. Burns:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the
number of 17 to 21-year-olds using motor vehicles on the road network without insurance in (a) West Chelmsford constituency and (b) Chelmsford local authority area. [312479]
Paul Clark: No information is held on uninsured driving on a constituency or local authority area basis.
First Capital Connect: Franchises
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the earliest date is on which the First Capital Connect franchise can be terminated, assuming no exceptional intervention powers are invoked by his Department. [312500]
Chris Mole: The First Capital Connect franchise can run until 31 March 2015. The Secretary of State may exercise an option to serve notice on First Capital Connect for the franchise to end at a notified date between 31 March 2012 and 31 March 2015. The franchise also contains provisions where the Secretary of State may terminate the franchise for an event of default.
Independent Penalty Fares Appeals Service
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will take steps to (a) cease allowing the Independent Penalty Fares Appeals Service (IPFAS) to be a subsidiary business of Southeastern and (b) make IPFAS wholly independent of the train operating companies. [311940]
Chris Mole: There are no proposals to alter the status of the Independent Penalty Fares Appeals Service. Its accounts and management are wholly separate to Southeastern. There are two penalty fares appeal bodies. Their revenue is not dependent on success or failure of appeals. Each body is paid a specified amount for appeals, regardless of the outcome. Appeals are regularly successful.
National Air Traffic Services
Paul Rowen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether his Department plans to sell off Government shares in National Air Traffic Services; and if he will make a statement. [312474]
Paul Clark: 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 regards to reducing their shareholding. Any options considered would be required to best meet the needs of the Company and its workforce, as well as shareholders.
Official Cars
Mr. Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport with reference to the written ministerial statement of 16 July 2009, Official Report, column 79WS, on the cost of ministerial cars for 2008-09, how many cars there were in 1996-97 for (a) Ministers and (b) senior civil servants; and what the annual cost was of providing the service. [312463]
Paul Clark: The Government Car and Despatch Agency was formed in April 1997. Information before that date is not available and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
Road Traffic
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many journeys and what percentage of miles were made by each type of vehicle on (a) motorways and (b) dual carriageways in the UK in each of the last three years. [312493]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not hold data on the number of journeys made each year by type of vehicle on motorways or dual carriageways.
Traffic data on dual carriageways are not available for Northern Ireland. However, the percentage of miles driven by type of vehicle in Great Britain on motorways and dual carriageways in 2006, 2007 and 2008 is shown in the following table.
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