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8 Mar 2010 : Column 16W—continued
Government Car and Despatch Agency: Consultants
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2010, Official Report, column 187W, on the Government Car and Despatch Agency, on which projects the agency engaged external consultants in each of those years. [319587]
Paul Clark: The Government Car and Despatch Agency engaged external consultants to work on the following projects in each of the years between 2004-05 and 2008-09 inclusive.
| Projects | |
|
Maintenance and Award of ISO Management Systems Government Mail Business Development | |
Roads: Repairs and Maintenance
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local authorities have sufficient funding to undertake repairs and resurfacing work on roads for which they are responsible. [320591]
Mr. Khan: This Department has provided sustained levels of funding to local authorities to assist them to invest in their roads. Since the introduction of the Local Transport Plan (LTP) settlement in 2001-02 this Department has more than doubled annual capital funding to local authorities across England (outside London) for maintaining local roads. LTP capital funding for highway maintenance in 2009-10 is £736 million, up from £265 million in 2000-01. Funding in London is a matter for the Mayor.
Local authorities are also able to use revenue funding, allocated by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) through the Formula Grant, for maintaining their local highways. Neither of these funding sources is ring-fenced. It is for local authorities to decide upon their spending priorities across the whole range of services that they provide.
In addition the Department has provided PFI funding to assist authorities to develop highway maintenance PFI schemes. Currently £2 billion PFI credits have been allocated for highways maintenance schemes. One project with allocated PFI credits of £121 million has been signed. In addition there are three projects in procurement with approved PFI credits of £1.5 billion. A further highway maintenance PFI project with approved funding of £365 million PFI credits is shortly to enter into procurement.
The Department has also provided emergency funding to local authorities to assist them to carry out repairs to their highways arising from extreme weather events.
We have also encouraged local authorities to adopt transport asset management plans. These will include inventories of highways assets, their existing condition, and the target condition based upon desired service levels. Knowledge of the condition of highways assets and the desired service level that an authority intends those assets to deliver, are key components in the process of deciding what expenditure is required.
A Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy report in July 2008 concluded that £15 million would be necessary to assist local authorities in Great Britain to develop transport asset management. Last year this Department allocated £32 million to assist English local authorities take forward highway asset management.
Roads: Snow and Ice
Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what proportion of roads in each region were gritted following snowfall between November 2009 and February 2010. [320297]
Mr. Khan: The Highways Agency treated the whole of the Strategic Road Network in England throughout the period. Winter service on other roads is the responsibility of each local highway authority and this information is not collected centrally.
Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps his Department takes to ensure roads are safe for drivers during periods of snowfall. [320298]
Mr. Khan: The Highways Agency through its service providers implements area-specific winter maintenance plans across the Strategic Road Network throughout the winter period. Snow ploughs are fitted as soon as snow is forecast. Salt is spread both in advance of and during snowfall, supplemented by ploughing as required to ensure that the network remains as safe as reasonably practicable. The agency also provides information and advice to road users using variable message signs, the internet and the media.
Winter service on other roads is the responsibility of each local highway authority. The Department for Transport endorses the winter service guidance provided by the UK Roads Liaison Group in its highways maintenance code of practice, "Well-maintained Highways". This makes clear that safety is a prime consideration for winter service. My Department wrote to each local authority last year with a leaflet "Are you ready for winter?", when the winter service guidance was updated, encouraging authorities to review their winter service strategies.
Roads: Speed Limits
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on which (a) roads and (b) sections of road variable speed limits have been introduced in each of the last 10 years. [319046]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not routinely collate information about the location of variable speed limits. For principal roads or if the speed limit is varied to 20 mph, local traffic authorities have powers to introduce variable speed limits without consent from the Secretary of State. On the Strategic Road Network, variable speed limits are located among other locations, on:
M25-Junction 10 to Junction 16
M42-Junction J3A to Junction 7
M6-Junction 4 to Junction 5
M42-Junction 7 to Junction 9
M40-Junction 16 to M42 Junction 3A.
Thameslink Railway Line
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure the availability in the medium term of sufficient rolling stock able to negotiate the Moorgate tunnel. [321072]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport is in negotiation with First Capital Connect to provide additional capacity to the route.
Defence
Afghanistan: Armed Conflict
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's long-term strategy for its activities in Afghanistan is. [320163]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Our military strategy in Afghanistan is designed to set the security conditions for the success of a broader political strategy, led by the Afghans themselves, and supported by the international community.
UK armed forces are operating in Afghanistan as part of the 44-nation international security assistance force (ISAF). ISAF forces are conducting security and stability operations throughout the country in support of the Afghan Government, and are supporting the growth in capacity and capability of the Afghan national security forces. Our armed forces, alongside our ISAF partners, also play an important role in facilitating improvements in governance and socio-economic development.
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much (a) aviation and (b) vehicle fuel for British forces in Afghanistan cost in each of the last five years. [319848]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The following table sets out the ground fuel and aviation fuel costs for Afghanistan for financial years (FYs) 2005-06 through to 2009-10, up to the end of January 2010.
| £ million | ||
| Financial year | Ground fuel | Aviation fuel |
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the budget is per person per day for meals for military personnel serving in Afghanistan. [320753]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Minister for Veterans (Mr. Jones) gave on 6 January 2010, Official Report, column 437, to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban).
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent assessment is of the tactical requirement for long-range patrol vehicles in the current military operation in Afghanistan. [320763]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth:
Commanders in Afghanistan have stressed the importance of having a range of vehicles from which they can select the most appropriate for specific tasks, including patrol vehicles. The use by
our armed forces of all vehicle types is kept under constant review to ensure that they continue to meet operational requirements.
Air Force: Deployment
Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average weekly flying time for a Royal Air Force pilot is. [320914]
Bill Rammell: Average weekly flying hours for RAF pilots are not recorded centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Aircraft Carriers
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Government plan to exempt the Queen Elizabeth carrier programme from the upcoming Strategic Defence Review. [320817]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: We have been very clear since the publication of the Defence Green Paper that everything other than Trident is included in the Strategic Defence Review. But unless the review takes us in a very radical new direction, aircraft carriers are likely to remain critical elements of our force structure. That is why we have signed the contracts and cut the steel.
Army: Counselling
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will investigate the reason for the increase in spending by his Department between 2003 and 2008 on counselling services for new recruits or Phase 1 trainees to the Army; and if he will make a statement. [320833]
Bill Rammell: Following the Blake Report and the Government's response in June 2006, the Army has striven further to ensure that the best welfare provision is in place for soldiers under training. We have made improvements in the level of welfare support available to new recruits, as well as in the way in which we monitor and report incidents. For example, the implementation of the Army's Suicide Vulnerability Risk Management Policy represents a major stride, since the tragic events at Deepcut, in our drive to reduce the incidence of suicide in the Army. We have also improved the military complaints process and increased supervisory levels in establishments with new recruits.
The Army's efforts to improve the welfare support available to recruits and trainees are having an effect. According to the results of the 2009 tri-service Recruit Trainee Survey over 90 per cent. of recruits and trainees consider that they are well looked after and fully understand the support that is there should they require it. An Ofsted report in June 2009 found that the support and care provided to recruits and trainees was comprehensive and wide ranging.
Bahrain: Military Bases
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which UK military assets are based in Bahrain. [320969]
Bill Rammell [holding answer 5 March 2010]: HMS Grimsby, HMS Pembroke, HMS Chiddingfold and HMS Atherstone are permanently based in Bahrain. Other Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels operating in the region routinely visit Bahrain but are not permanently based there.
As Bahrain is within an operational theatre I am withholding information on other UK military assets which may be present because it would, or would be likely to, prejudice the efficiency, security and capability of the armed forces.
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on office refurbishments in each of the last 10 years. [320505]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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