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17 Mar 2010 : Column 858W—continued
All data have been gathered from legacy systems and JPA. The Army are continuing data cleansing and improvement exercises. As a result figures are not held centrally, at this time, in respect of those Army personnel administratively discharged after 2006.
Armed Forces: Rescue Services
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the C-130 Hercules has been chosen as a replacement aircraft for the Nimrod MR2 for UK-based long-range search and rescue missions. [321290]
Bill Rammell: The C-130 Hercules has not been chosen as a replacement aircraft for the Nimrod MR2 for UK-based long-range search and rescue missions. The Nimrod MR2 will be replaced by the substantially more capable Nimrod MRA4.
Until the MRA4 enters service we intend to use other assets to undertake the long-range search and rescue role.
Defence: Procurement
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the average rate of inflation for major defence procurement projects in each of the last five years. [322036]
Mr. Quentin Davies [holding answer 12 March 2010]: In response to observations by the House of Commons Defence Committee (pages 41 to 42 of the HCDC Fifth Report of the 2007-08 session on the Ministry of Defence's Annual Report and accounts 2006-07, published in January 2008 (HC 61), the Department has carried out a two year programme of work to develop a robust measure of defence inflation.
The results of this work will be published on Defence Analytical Services and Advice's website on 30 March 2010 at 9.30 am as an Official Statistic at:
Departmental Theft
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to deter theft from within the Department. [322644]
Mr. Kevan Jones:
The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) has actively promoted a number of crime reduction initiatives throughout the Ministry of Defence (MOD). One such initiative is the "office watch" scheme, which encourages the safeguarding of MOD offices and MOD property by raising awareness of staff, in relation to
their own and others' personal property, as well as property of the MOD. The MDP also have 63 community based Beat Officers, who are trained crime reduction officers working in MOD establishments across the country. These officers provide an effective deterrent to potential criminals, by raising the awareness of staff, service personnel, service families and contractors. At sites where there are no trained MDP crime reduction personnel present, all staff, and also contractors and visitors, are encouraged to work together to make their places of employment and homes safer and more secure.
Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library an unclassified copy of the 7th Armoured Brigade Post Operation Tour Report of Op Telic 1. [321705]
Bill Rammell: Post operational tour reports are not intended for external publication and unclassified versions are not produced. This information could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Nimrod Aircraft
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the first Nimrod MRA4 to enter service; and if he will make a statement. [321966]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The first Nimrod MRA4 production aircraft was accepted by the Ministry of Defence on 10 March 2010. The aircraft will initially be used for pilot and rear crew training and is then expected to enter service with the RAF in mid 2010.
Transport
Cycling
Lynne Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what information his Department holds on which local authorities make cycle training available to (a) the general public and (b) schools; and what proportion of schools in providing local authorities are receiving cycle training programmes. [321420]
Mr. Khan: Most if not all local highway authorities offer some level of cycle training to both adults and children.
In addition the Department for Transport supports and funds National Standard cycle training which is predominately delivered in England as 'Bikeability' training. The Department provides a maximum grant of £40 per child to be trained to Level 2 on the National Standard and we recently announced funding of over £12 million for local authorities and School Sports partnerships for 2010-11.
The Department does not hold information about the proportion of members of the public and schools being offered cycle training. However a table has been placed in the Libraries of the House providing the information which the Department holds on the proportion of Year 6 pupils being offered training to the National Standard by those authorities delivering that training
through Department for Transport grants awarded in 2009-10 and their own funding. The Department does not fund cycle training in London boroughs as the responsibility for cycle training in London rests with Transport for London.
Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many (a) disciplinary and (b) capability procedures have been (i) initiated and (ii) completed in his Department in each of the last five years; how much time on average was taken to complete each type of procedure in each such year; how many and what proportion of his Department's staff were subject to each type of procedure in each such year; and how many and what proportion of each type of procedure resulted in the dismissal of the member of staff. [320621]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport comprises a central Department and seven agencies. The following table provides details of how many disciplinary and capability procedures have been initiated and completed in the Department over the past five years. It should be noted that the figures on capability dismissals include trainee driving examiners who undertake the entrance course but do not go on to qualify as driving examiners and are not included in the capability cases specified in category (b) of the table.
| 2009-10 | 2008-09 | 2007-08 | 2006-07 | 2005-06 | |
The Department does not routinely record the time taken to complete each type of procedure in each year nor how many and what proportion of staff were subject to each type of procedures in each year. This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. The total number of staff in February 2010 in the Department and its agencies is just over 19,000.
Two of our agencies, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency and the Government Car and Despatch Agency, do not record this information centrally and could collate the information only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Energy
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps his Department plans to take to participate in the Earth Hour event on 27 March 2010. [319101]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport will participate in the Earth Hour event.
The event occurs outside of normal departmental working hours and as such we expect the majority of our sites to already be in a state of near darkness. However, to emphasise the importance of this event any maintenance works or activity during Earth Hour will be curtailed where it is practical to do so.
This event has also been promoted to staff across the Department and its agencies.
Electric Motors
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether he plans to extend the plug-in car grant to electric-powered motorcycles and scooters; and if he will make a statement. [322688]
Mr. Khan: Passenger cars are by some distance the biggest source of emissions from road transport, forming almost 60 per cent. of total UK domestic CO2 transport emissions compared to less than 1 per cent. by powered two wheelers. As such, the focus of the Plug-In Car Grant is on cars where it will have the biggest impact on greenhouse gas emissions from road transport. We recognise that electric motorcycles offer environmental benefits compared to conventional motorcycles and they are already zero rated for vehicle excise duty purposes and exempt from fuel duty. Electric motorcycles and scooters should be able to access the majority of recharging infrastructure installed as part of the £30 million Plugged-In Places framework.
Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many vehicles were exempt from vehicle excise duty as a result of having been first registered prior to January 1973 in each of the last five years. [320879]
Paul Clark: The following table provides the number of licensed vehicles that were exempt from vehicle excise duty on the 31 December in each of the last five years as a result of having been manufactured prior to January 1973. These figures are for Great Britain.
| Number of vehicles | |
Data for 2009 will be published at the end of April 2010.
Railways: Coventry
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) whether Coventry city council has submitted to his Department a business plan for development under the Nuneaton, Coventry, Kenilworth and Leamington (NUCKLE) project which includes a station at the Ricoh Arena; and what recent discussions his Department has had with Coventry city council on the production of a future business plan in connection with the NUCKLE project; [321821]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effects of the timing of submission of business plans in connection with the NUCKLE project on the (a) timetable for delivery and (b) costs of the project. [321822]
Chris Mole:
The Department for Transport has had recent discussions with Coventry city council about producing a business plan in connection with the NUCKLE
project. From this, I understand that they are proposing to submit a major scheme business case shortly. As a result, the Department has not made an assessment of the effects of the timing of submission of business plans.
Railways: Tickets
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the effect on the cost of off-peak rail travel in the London borough of Bexley of the implementation of the Oyster pay-as-you-go agreement. [322453]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport has made no specific analysis of this effect on the London borough of Bexley. Before the launch of Oyster Pay As You Go, some high level analysis was carried out on the likely effects of Pay As You Go fares changes across London as a whole. Within that analysis there were both positive and negative effects, but overwhelmingly those who had been disadvantaged can switch to Pay As You Go and get the best value fares available for their time of travel.
Railways: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the (a) open full, (b) average and (c) lowest advance purchase fare available to the general public was for rail travel between York and London in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) the latest period for which figures are available, expressed in (A) cash and (B) real terms. [322098]
Chris Mole: Typically over 75 per cent. of long distance rail journeys are made using discounted tickets. The cheapest York London Advance fare today is £10 single. In 1996 it was £34 in simple cash terms. Around under 20 per cent. of longer journeys are made with Anytime Returns. In 1996 the Standard Class Anytime fare was £102, it is now £223.
The regulated Off Peak Return in 1996 was £57. This now costs £83.70, and is cheaper in real terms, having increased by less than the change in RPI since 1996. An operator specific Off Peak Return costing £61 is also available.
Roads: Greater London
Tom Brake: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when the Secretary of State's approval for the form of the fixed penalty notice to be used in cases of highway obstruction under the London Local Authorities and Transport for London Act 2003 was first sought; on how many subsequent occasions his Department has discussed that matter; and when he expects to be in a position to decide on the form of the fixed penalty notice. [322046]
Mr. Khan: Responsibility for this matter was transferred to the Department for Transport from the Government Office for London in 2007. The Secretary of State expects to be in a position to approve the form of the fixed penalty notice later this year.
Rolling Stock
Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many short forming trains were run by each train operating company in each week of the last six months. [321485]
Chris Mole [holding answer 10 March 2010]: Only certain train operators are required to report the number of trains short-formed, and do so as part of a contractual monitoring regime. The Department does not hold information for operators whose franchise agreement does not require this.
For those that are required to report short-formed services, the numbers for the six most recent four-weekly reporting periods are shown in the following table:
| 2009 | 2010 | |||||
| Train o perator | Aug -Sept | Sept-Oct | Oct - Nov | Nov-Dec | Dec-Jan | Jan-Feb |
| (1) A new franchise agreement commenced on 20 September 2009 and equivalent data was not previously reported | ||||||
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