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25 Mar 2010 : Column 441W—continued
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on what date his Department plans to respond to the participants in the consultation on the High Speed Two Exceptional Hardship Scheme. [324257]
Chris Mole: The consultation closes on 20 May 2010. The Government recognise the importance to affected property owners of introducing the scheme, should they decide to do so, as quickly as is practicable. We would expect this to be in June.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what meetings (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) his officials have had with interested parties on the three alternative routes for High Speed Two through the Chilterns; what the (i) purpose and (ii) outcome was of each such meeting; and if he will place a copy of the minutes of each such meeting in the Library. [324258]
Chris Mole: "High Speed Rail" was published on 11 March 2010. Prior to this Ministers and officials in the Department held no meetings with interested parties outside the Government at which HS2 Ltd. proposed routes from London to the West Midlands were discussed. Following the publication of the Command Paper, the Secretary of State for Transport, has held meetings with various hon. Members, and other stakeholders, to discuss high speed rail in general and/or in relation to constituency or local interests.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what advice he has (a) sought and (b) received on the compatibility of the conduct of his Department's High Speed Two Exceptional Hardship Scheme consultation with guidance on the conduct of consultations during an election period. [324601]
Chris Mole: The Department consulted the HM Government "Code of Practice on Consultation", which recommends that consultations should not generally be launched during election periods. The consultation on the Exceptional Hardship Scheme was launched on 11 March, while Parliament was sitting. The Government recognise the importance to affected property owners of introducing the scheme, should they decide to do so, as quickly as is practicable. The timing of the launch was determined accordingly. In addition, the duration of the consultation was shortened-to 10 weeks instead of the recommended 12-for the same reason.
Railways: Fares
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the annual percentage change to the cost of travelling by rail in each year since 2000. [318468]
Chris Mole: The estimate of the annual percentage change to the cost of travelling by rail in each year since 2000 is shown in the following table, next to the percentage change in disposable income for comparison.
| Rail fares (£) | Percentage change | Disposable income (£) | Percentage change | |
Richard Bowker
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on what occasions the Secretary of State has (a) met and (b) spoken with Richard Bowker since 3 October 2008. [324192]
Chris Mole: As Minister of State the current Secretary of State for Transport, my noble Friend (Lord Adonis), met or spoke with Richard Bowker, the then chief executive of the National Express Group, on 23 October 2008, 28 November 2008, 18 February 2009 and 21 April 2009. Since becoming Secretary of State he had one meeting with Mr. Bowker on 9 June 2009.
The previous Secretary of State for Transport met with Mr. Bowker on 20 January and 25 February 2009.
Some of these meetings were specifically to discuss issues relating to National Express Group plc or its subsidiaries; others were wider events involving other transport stakeholders.
Road Works
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what progress his Department has made on amending the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions Order 2002 in order to enable the installation of portable pedestrian crossings at road works. [324110]
Mr. Khan: The Department for Transport consulted on draft amendments to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 between September and December 2009. These include proposals to permit portable pedestrian facilities. Officials at the Department are considering the responses received and will be revising the draft regulations to address the issues raised.
Roads: Tolls
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will (a) rule out a national satellite-based road pricing scheme and (b) end all funding in respect of road pricing and road pricing demonstration projects. [324186]
Mr. Khan: The Government have already ruled out national road pricing in this or the next Parliament. However the Government are contractually committed to funding up to December 2010 the 'Demonstrations' projects that look at the technological, operational and organisational challenges around widespread Time/Distance/Place road pricing. The Government have no plans to undertake further 'Demonstrations' projects.
Social Security Benefits
Jim Cousins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the earnings disregard is for each means-tested benefit administered by his Department; and when each such disregard was first set. [302540]
Chris Mole: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Stephen Byers
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on what dates he discussed matters relating to National Express with the right hon. Member for North Tyneside since 1 January 2009. [324188]
Chris Mole: My noble Friend the Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis) had a brief conversation in the House of Commons with the right hon. Member for North Tyneside (Mr. Byers) in June 2009 about the East Coast Main Line. The Secretary of State does not recall the precise date (although it cannot have been before 8 June, his first full week in office).
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of each (a) email and (b) letter received by his Department from the right hon. Member for North Tyneside on National Express. [324189]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport has not received any emails or letters from the right hon. Member for North Tyneside (Mr. Byers) about National Express.
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will publish the (a) correspondence and (b) notes of discussions between his Department and the right hon. Member for North Tyneside on the operation by National Express of the East Coast Rail subsidiary franchise in 2009. [324603]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport has not received any correspondence from the right hon. Member for North Tyneside (Mr. Byers) on the operation by National Express of the East Coast Rail subsidiary franchise.
My noble Friend the Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis) had a brief conversation in the House of Commons with the right hon. Member for North Tyneside (Mr. Byers) in June 2009 about the East Coast Main Line.
As this was a conversation in the House of Commons there is no official note. However, the Secretary of State has stated for the record that they discussed the right hon. Member's experience in dealing with rail franchise difficulties when Transport Secretary. As regards the situation then facing National Express the Secretary of State told him that despite the company's difficulties he had no intention whatsoever of renegotiating the East Coast franchise on terms favourable to the company, as the company was seeking in its approaches to the Department for Transport. The Secretary of State also told the right hon. Member that in his view such a move would undermine the rail franchise system and would not be in the best interests of tax payers.
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on what date in June 2009 the Secretary of State was approached by the right hon. Member for North Tyneside on the issue of penalties to be levied against National Express; who first raised the issue; what record was made of the approach; and on what date the Permanent Secretary of his Department was informed that the meeting had taken place. [324606]
Chris Mole: At the instigation of the right hon. Member for North Tyneside (Mr. Byers), my noble Friend the Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis) had a brief conversation with him about the East Coast Main Line in the House of Commons in June 2009. The Secretary of State does not recall the precise date (although this cannot have been before 8 June, his first full week in office), and as this was a conversation in the House of Commons there is no official note.
However, the Secretary of State has stated for the record that they discussed the right hon. Member's experience in dealing with rail franchise difficulties when Transport Secretary. As regards the situation then facing National Express, the Secretary of State told him that despite the company's difficulties he had no intention whatsoever of renegotiating the East Coast franchise on terms favourable to the company, as the company was seeking in its approaches to the Department for Transport. The Secretary of State also told the right hon. Member that in his view such a move would undermine the rail franchise system and would not be in the best interests of tax payers.
The Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport was informed of the conversation shortly after it took place.
Transport Innovation Fund
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether the Urban Challenge Fund will use funding from the Transport Innovation Fund; and how much funding will be provided to the Transport Innovation Fund. [324480]
Mr. Khan: I refer the hon. Member to my written statement on the Urban Challenge Fund on 2 March 2010, Official Report, columns 107-08WS.
Justice
Arrest Warrants: War Crimes
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2010, Official Report, column 1012W, on arrest warrants: war crimes, on what date the paper 'Arrest Warrants - Universal Jurisdiction' was placed on his Department's website; [324270]
(2) if he will list all the interested individuals and organisations to which a copy of the paper was sent. [324271]
Claire Ward: The paper 'Arrest Warrants - Universal Jurisdiction' was placed on the Ministry of Justice website on 17 March. It has been sent to the District Bench (Magistrates' Courts) Legal Committee and to the Jewish Leadership Council, as well as to the persons and bodies listed in my answer of 18 March 2010.
Dangerous Dogs Act 1991: Convictions
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 30 March 2009 , Official Report, columns 979-90W, on Dangerous Dogs Act 1991: convictions, how many people in (a) London and (b) England were (i) charged with and (ii) convicted of offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each of the last three years; how many such convictions were under (A) section 1 and (B) section 3 of the Act; and how many resulted in a (1) destruction order, (2) disqualification order, (3) custodial sentence, (4) fine on Level 1 of the standard scale, (5) fine on Level 2 of the standard scale, (6) fine on Level 3 of the standard scale, (7) fine on Level 4 of the standard scale and (8) fine on Level 5 of the standard scale. [323654]
Claire Ward: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty and sentenced at all courts for offences under Section 1 and 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, in London Government Office Region and England in 2008 (latest available) can be viewed in the table.
Charging data are not held by the Ministry of Justice, thus prosecutions data have been provided in lieu.
Information on destruction and disqualification orders is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Court data for 2009 are planned for publication in the autumn, 2010.
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