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1 Nov 2010 : Column 574W—continued
Nuclear Disarmament
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral statement of 19 October 2010, Official Report, columns 805-06, on the Strategic Defence and Security Review, in what forums he expects discussions of the UK's responsibilities for multilateral nuclear disarmament to take place. [20731]
Alistair Burt: The Government are committed to the long-term vision of a world without nuclear weapons and will press for multilateral progress as the primary means of achieving sustainable global nuclear disarmament.
The UK continues to take part in regular discussions on multilateral nuclear disarmament in the following international fora: the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty preparatory committees and five-yearly review conferences; the UN's Disarmament Commission and First Committee; the preparatory commission for the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty Organisation; and the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. The nuclear weapon states will also discuss nuclear disarmament at a meeting of the P5 in Paris in 2011-following a similar conference hosted by the UK in 2009.
Nuclear Weapons: Arms Control
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what position the Government plan to take in the forthcoming meeting of the United Nations First (Disarmament) Committee on the draft resolution on (a) the Nuclear Weapons Convention (draft resolution L.50) and (b) d-alerting (draft resolution L42). [20668]
Alistair Burt: Resolution votes at the UN's First Committee started in New York on 26 October 2010. The UK voted against the draft resolution on a Nuclear Weapons Convention (draft resolution L.26), together with 47 other countries including the US and all EU partners.
On 27 October 2010, the UK voted against the draft resolution on de-alerting (L.42), along with the US and France. We gave a statement at the time of voting at First Committee, which explained that we do not accept that further de-alerting of nuclear weapons by the UK is necessary to prevent accidental use: our nuclear weapons are subject to the most rigorous command and control systems, and the UK has already significantly reduced the operational status of our nuclear deterrent.
Peace Keeping Operations
Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to his Iranian and Syrian counterparts on (a) the implementation of UN Resolution 1701 and (b) weapons smuggling into Lebanon. [19982]
Alistair Burt:
During my visit to Damascus in July, I made clear and firm representations to Foreign Minister Muallem in support of UN Security Council resolution 1701. We are strongly committed to the full implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1701: this is the best means of achieving stability in Lebanon. I also raised the issue of weapons smuggling in Lebanon and underlined
concerns about reports of Syrian facilitation of arms to Hezbollah. My officials continue to raise these issues at the highest level during our regular dialogue with Syrian counterparts.
We remain concerned that Iran is undermining regional peace and stability, including through weapons transfers. We call on Iran to play a constructive role in the region, including through restoring international confidence in its nuclear programme. We continue to make our views clear through interventions at the UN on UN Security Council resolutions 1701 and 1559.
Sri Lanka: Human Rights
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Government of Sri Lanka on the human rights situation in the country. [20526]
Alistair Burt: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I discussed our concerns with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister on 19 and 20 October 2010 and stressed the need to improve the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made towards the establishment of an independent and transparent investigation into allegations of war crimes in Sri Lanka. [20615]
Alistair Burt: I refer the hon. Member to my response of 21 October 2010, Official Report, columns 821-22W, to my hon. Friend the Member for St Ives (Andrew George).
Tamils
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has received reports on the authenticity of photographs of Tamil detainees released by the Global Tamil Forum. [20616]
Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received no reports on the authenticity of the photographs. These disturbing images underline the importance of a credible investigation into allegations of violations of international law by both parties to the conflict.
Transport
Bus Services
Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on the provision of bus services. [19262]
Norman Baker [holding answer 25 October 2010]: The Department has issued the following guidance to local authorities considered relevant to the provision of bus services, which can be found on the internet at the addresses provided:
Guidance to support local authorities in preparing their third Local Transport Plans. The guidance gives brief advice to local authorities on the powers and other measures available to local authorities to enhance local bus services, and points authorities to other useful documents.
Guidance on making best use of community transport for local authorities completing Local Transport Plans:
Guidance for local authorities and bus operators on bus punctuality partnerships:
Guidance on quality bus partnership schemes, quality contract schemes and voluntary bus partnership schemes:
Guidance on the tendering of bus services, including good practice and specimen contracts:
Bus Services: Standards
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times a traffic commissioner has taken steps as a result of complaints regarding bus companies not fulfilling their advertised timetables since 2005; which companies were the subject of such complaints; and what fine was imposed by the traffic commissioner in each case where a penalty was imposed. [19054]
Mike Penning [holding answer 22 October 2010]: Between April 2005 and March 2010, a total of 166 operators of local bus services have attended public inquiries at which traffic commissioners have considered taking action for not running local services as registered, under the provisions of section 26 of the Transport Act 1985. Of these there were 100 incidences where an operator had penalties imposed under section 155 of the Transport Act 2000 and 38 incidences where operators had other restrictions placed upon their operator's licence. Traffic commissioners can also issue warning letters to operators without holding a public inquiry if they consider it appropriate.
The traffic commissioners publish the results of all public inquiries on the DFT website available at:
Crossrail
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his most recent estimate is of the opening date for the full Crossrail route. [19791]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 26 October 2010]: Under the revised programme for the construction of the central tunnels, we expect that phased introduction of Crossrail services will commence from 2018.
Cycling Schemes
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Bikeability cycle training scheme. [17101]
Norman Baker: Bikeability cycle training is based on the National Standard for cycling training. The National Standard was developed by cycling organisations, safety bodies (including the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and Road Safety UK), and the Administrations of the United Kingdom. It represents years of combined experience in providing high-quality, safe cycle training. Formal cycle training with an on-road element, such as Bikeability, has been shown to improve the safety awareness of children.
Recent research conducted by MORI asked parents and children about their experiences of Bikeability. Children who have taken part in the scheme feel safer and more confident when riding on the road (86%) and their parents feel more confident in allowing them to do so (87%). Children who have participated also feel more confident about riding their bike more often (87%). Bikeability training is rated very highly by both parents (97% say that they are very/quite satisfied with the training) and children (95% describe it as fairly/very good). I intend to publish this research in full in the near future.
The Department is currently evaluating cycling measures undertaken in the designated cycling demonstration towns, including cycle training and other activities aimed at schools. This work will be published once complete.
The value the Government place on Bikeability is demonstrated by our decision to continue support for the scheme after 2010-11.
Departmental Computer Software
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many applications for the Apple iPhone his Department has commissioned each company to create; and at what cost to the public purse those applications were created. [19460]
Norman Baker: The only application for the Apple iPhone commissioned by the Department for Transport and agencies is one launched by the Highways Agency in February 2010. It provides traffic information and breaking news alerts, and was developed by the companies Rufus Leonard and AIM at a cost of £29,050.
Departmental Manpower
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the staffing levels of each agency sponsored by his Department in each year of the comprehensive spending review period. [19852]
Norman Baker [holding answer 27 October 2010]: We are committed to meeting the targets for efficiencies set out in the comprehensive spending review and are currently working up detailed plans to deliver these, which includes staffing levels.
Departmental Sick Leave
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many days his Department has lost to staff sickness in each year since 1997; and what estimate he made of the cost to his Department of sickness absence in each such year. [18722]
Norman Baker: The central Department and its Executive agencies committed to a Cabinet Office methodology of calculating sickness absence in 2007. To recalculate earlier figures would incur disproportionate cost.
Our quarterly departmental returns to the Cabinet Office are summarised in the following table:
| 12-month period | Total number of sick days | AWDL per full-time equivalent post |
An estimate of costs is available only at disproportionate cost as single periods of sickness exceeding six months are paid at a reduced rate.
The Department reports sickness absence figures to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and updates our results on the external website:
Departmental Training
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many external training courses were attended by staff of his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such course. [13305]
Norman Baker: The following table lists the number of external training courses attended by staff in the Department for Transport (DfT) between 1 September 2009 to 31 August 2010, and the cost where information is available:
| Agency | Number of training courses | Total cost (£) |
| (1 )Number of courses cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs. | ||
This information is not held centrally by the central Department for Transport, and it is not possible to obtain this for the Highways Agency or the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency without incurring disproportionate costs. Whilst we are able to provide the overall cost of training courses for the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), it is not possible to obtain information on the number of training courses without again incurring disproportionate costs. This is because the VCA relies on data supplied by its finance procurement system. Whilst this can identify expenditure on learning and development activities as a whole, it is not possible to differentiate between expenditure on courses and expenditure on other forms of learning and development activity. It is also not possible to accurately determine the number of courses delivered against a paid invoice. Their training budget is also used to meet the cost of ad-hoc training course expenses, professional registration, and exam fees, among other items.
Driving Offences: Fraud
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of driving offences which have not resulted in a prosecution due to the provision by the offender of fraudulent identity documents in each of the last five years; and how many such offences involved one or more deaths. [19293]
James Brokenshire: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested is not available.
Data on driving offences and road casualties held by the Home Office and Department for Transport do not include information on the identity documents held by offenders.
Driving Tests: Birmingham
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average waiting time was between applying for and taking a driving test in (a) Wednesbury, (b) Wolverhampton and (c) Kingstanding in (i) each of the last five years and (ii) the most recent period for which information is available. [21004]
Mike Penning: The following table gives the annual average waiting times for car and motorcycle tests at Wednesbury, Wolverhampton and Birmingham (Kingstanding) driving test centres in the past five years.
| Weeks | |||||||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010 to date( 1) | ||
| (1) 25 October 2010 Notes: 1. Wolverhampton DTC stayed open while another DTC was refurbished. 2. Waiting times measured at Wolverhampton until September 2009, when the Wolverhampton MPTC started taking bookings. | |||||||
East Coast Railway Line
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much he plans to allocate to improvements to the east coast main line; over what period; and if he will make a statement. [20516]
Mrs Villiers: During Control Period 4, which runs from April 2009 to March 2014, Network Rail's delivery plan allocates spending of £582 million (in 2010-11 prices) for enhancements to the east coast main line.
Galileo Project
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his most recent estimate of the cost to the UK of the EU Galileo satellite project is; and what such estimates were made in each of the last three years. [18563]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 25 October 2010]: The system's in orbit validation (IOV) phase was initially funded through contributions to the European Space Agency (ESA). The UK has provided €240.3 million to Galileo through its contributions to ESA. Funding to ESA is provided on a juste retour basis, meaning that contracts equivalent to a member state's contribution less administration costs should be awarded to companies from within the member state.
The subsequent work required to complete the Galileo system is funded from the core EU budget to which all member states contribute. The UK contributes to the EU budget as a whole, not to individual programmes within it. The level of UK contribution depends on a number of factors, and varies from year to year. As a rough indication, the UK's pre-abatement contribution to the 2010 budget is currently estimated at 14%. The UK's contribution to the EU budget from 2014 onwards will be decided during the forthcoming negotiations.
The EU budget allocation to complete the system was set at €3.405 billion in 2007. Four of the six work package contracts necessary to complete the system have been let and orders placed for items such as satellites, and the remaining contracts should be signed in the near future.
The European Commission has not yet set out its proposal for the exploitation phase covering the operation, maintenance, marketing, improvement and renewal of the system from 2014 onwards. The Commission is required to undertake a feasibility study of the advantages and disadvantages of the use of contracts with private sector entities as part of this process since that may save public funds. The Commission's proposal may be made with the programme's mid-term review which the Commission is legally required to undertake in 2010.
Great Western Main Line
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what capital allocations he plans to make in respect of the Great Western Main Line in each year of the next spending review period. [19797]
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to allocate funds for the electrification of the Great Western Main Line. [19618]
Mrs Villiers
[holding answer s 26 October 2010]: Decisions on electrification are linked with rolling stock programmes and the Intercity Express Programme. We are currently considering revised proposals from Agility Trains for the Intercity Express Programme (IEP). An announcement
on the electrification of the Great Western Main Line will be made in due course, taking account of decisions on the future of the IEP project.
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to announce his decision on his plans for the electrification of the Great Western Line between Swansea and London; and by what means he plans to make that announcement. [20670]
Mrs Villiers: We are currently considering revised proposals from Agility Trains for the Intercity Express Programme (IEP). An announcement on the electrification of the Great Western Main Line will be made to the House in due course in light of the Government's decision on the IEP programme.
Great Western Main Line: Finance
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what capital rail expenditure schemes his Department has planned for the Great Western Line during the comprehensive spending review period. [20578]
Mrs Villiers: We expect that the following capital rail expenditure schemes will take place on the Great Western Main Line during the spending review period:
Elements of the Crossrail surface works
Reading station redevelopment
Barry-Cardiff Queen Street corridor improvements
Cotswold line re-doubling
An announcement on the electrification of the Great Western Main Line will be made in due course in light of the Government's decision on the Intercity Express Programme.
High Level Output Strategy
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable he has set for announcements on the future procurement of rolling stock under the High Level Output Strategy. [19717]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 26 October 2010]: An announcement on the High Level Output Specification (HLOS) will be made in due course.
High Speed Trains: Finance
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport under what budget headings the planned £750 million allocation to High Speed 2 will be spent in the next spending review period. [19696]
Mr Philip Hammond: A breakdown of budget allocations for high speed rail in the next spending review period is not yet available. Funding over this period will include expenditure under the following headings:
delivery of a consultation on the Government's strategy for high speed rail and on a line of route from London to the west midlands;
subject to the outcome of that consultation, preparation, including an environmental impact assessment, and delivery of a hybrid Bill seeking powers for a London to west midlands line, including any further refinement of the line of route;
preparation of recommendations to Government in relation to lines to Leeds and Manchester; and
provision for assistance for the owners of properties affected by blight.
High Speed Trains: Staffordshire
Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made an estimate of the likely effects of High Speed 2 on the economy of (a) Staffordshire and (b) Tamworth constituency. [20587]
Mr Philip Hammond: I have made no such estimate.
Highways Agency: Finance
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects each of the Highways Agency major schemes for which funding was confirmed in the comprehensive spending review to be completed. [19811]
Mr Philip Hammond [holding answer 28 October 2010]: I refer the hon. Member to my oral statement of 26 October 2010 , Official Report, columns 177-79, "Investment in Highways and Local Transport Schemes" which has been placed in the Library of the House. Specific completion dates will be confirmed by the Highways Agency's programme in due course.
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely effects on maintenance standards on the strategic road network of reductions in funding for the Highways Agency. [19812]
Mike Penning [holding answer 28 October 2010]: The Highways Agency is responsible for the maintenance, repair and renewal of the Strategic Road Network (SRN) in England on behalf of the Secretary of State. The agency is undertaking a review of its routine and winter maintenance standards to ensure that it maintains the SRN in a safe and serviceable condition, while seeking to reduce costs and drive value for money from its supply chain.
The review is expected to be completed by April 2011.The revised standards will be introduced into new and existing maintenance contracts as appropriate. Maintaining the SRN in a safe condition will remain a priority for the agency.
Large Goods Vehicles
Ms Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the proportion of heavy goods vehicles using trunk roads that were left-hand drive in 2009; and if he will make a statement. [21230]
Mike Penning: The Department does not hold data on the proportion of left-hand drive vehicles using trunk roads.
Data are collected on the proportion of foreign registered vehicles on British roads. In 2009, 3.9% of all heavy goods vehicle traffic was estimated to be driven by a foreign registered vehicle.
M20: Noise
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of households located in the area between junctions 4 and 6 of the M20 which are adversely affected by noise from that motorway; and how many such households are estimated to fall into each decibel band. [20540]
Mike Penning: During the last five years, the Highways Agency (HA) has carried out an extensive installation of noise barriers on the section of the M20 between Junctions 4 to 5 as part of the HA list noise mitigation programme.
Since the barrier installations, the HA has not made any estimate of the number of households located in the area between junctions 4 to 5 of the M20 which are adversely affected by noise from the motorway. The M20 between junctions 5 and 6 was not part of the noise mitigation programme and no estimate has been made of the number of households adversely affected at this location.
M4: Bus Lanes
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the total cost to the public purse of his proposed (a) suspension of the M4 bus lane until and (b) removal of the M4 bus lane after the London 2012 Olympic Games. [16736]
Mike Penning: The cost of the suspension of the M4 bus lane is estimated at around £400,000. Our indicative business case shows that the economic value of potential journey time savings that could be realised by the removal of the M4 bus lane exceeds the cost of removing the bus lane under the Experimental Order. In advance of the conclusion of the Experimental Order period and further evaluation, it would not be appropriate to attempt to estimate costs relating to any scheme for permanent removal.
Maritime and Coastguard Agency: Training
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many applications the Maritime and Coastguard Agency received to its Local Authority Beach Supervisor Course in the last 12 months; and what proportion of such applicants was successful. [21320]
Mike Penning: In the last 12 months the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have received 11 applications from local authorities, and of these, six were successful.
Motorways
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which Managed and Controlled Motorway Schemes his Department plans to deliver in the next five years. [21003]
Mike Penning: I direct the hon. Member to the Secretary of State's announcement of 26 October 2010, Official Report, columns 177-79, on future transport investment. A full outline of forthcoming road schemes can be found in the Library of the House.
Motorways: Speed Limits
Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received from motoring organisations in support of increasing the speed limit to 80 miles per hour on controlled stretches of motorway. [19118]
Mike Penning: There have been no recent representations received in support of increasing the speed limit to 80 miles per hour on controlled stretches of motorway.
Railway Heritage Committee
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the functions currently undertaken by the Railway Heritage Committee will continue to be carried out after its abolition; and if he will make a statement. [19801]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 26 October 2010]: We have considered whether the Committee's power to attach statutory designations to rail-related items of heritage interest should be retained following the Committee's abolition.
We have noted that the rail industry has a good record in relation to protection of items with heritage interest and that no equivalent power has been enacted in relation to other industries or transport sectors. In the light of that, we do not plan to retain the current designation powers. We would expect to repeal them but this would be subject to parliamentary scrutiny.
Railways: Birmingham
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2010, Official Report, columns 410-11W, on railway stations: Birmingham, whether there have been any changes to (a) the budget for the Access to All Scheme at Northfield Station since May 2010 or (b) the estimated costs of the scheme since it was first approved by Network Rail. [20813]
Norman Baker: The scope of the work for the Access for All scheme at Northfield Station has evolved to a design with two lifts, one serving each platform. The anticipated final cost for implementation of the programme remains at £2.531 million and this has not changed since May 2010.
Network Rail is currently investigating cost-efficiency measures to deliver this scheme and we hope this will achieve some cost reductions.
Railways: Comprehensive Spending Review
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) new and (b) cascaded carriages he expects to be delivered to rail routes in the north-west over the period of the comprehensive spending review. [19716]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 26 October 2010]: Deployment of carriages to the north-west is linked to decisions on other inter-dependent rail schemes.
We are currently considering revised proposals from Agility Trains for the Intercity Express Programme. Announcements on the Thameslink programme and the High Level Output Specification rolling stock programme will be made in light of the Government's final decision on the Intercity Express Programme. Decisions on those schemes will then determine the availability of new and cascaded rolling stock for other parts of the network.
Railways: Construction
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the level of carbon dioxide emissions likely to be generated as a result of construction activity relating to the proposed High Speed 2 rail project. [16277]
Mr Philip Hammond: A detailed business case for High Speed 2-the proposed line between London and the west midlands-was published by HS2 Ltd in March 2010. This estimates that the main bulk construction materials will produce emissions for HS2 Ltd's recommended route of 1.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (MtCO2), within the range of +0.29 MtCO2 to +2.12 MtCO2.
The range reflects the preliminary stage of the design for the scheme, and the fact that a number of assumptions had been made in terms of volumes of concrete, steel and ballast required to build the scheme. These volumes of construction materials would be subject to variation as the design for the scheme evolves.
Railways: Disability
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the future pricing of (a) disabled persons' rail cards and (b) rail tickets purchased using disabled persons' rail cards. [20897]
Mrs Villiers: Any proposed changes to the purchase price or the terms and conditions for the disabled person's railcard are a matter for the participating train operators, acting together through their industry body, the Association of Train Operating Companies in accordance with the terms of the disabled person's railcard scheme.
Under the disabled person's railcard scheme, the purchase price of the railcard may not be increased beyond accumulated RPI.
Any change to the terms and conditions of the disabled person's railcard, including the discounts to which users of the railcard are entitled, would require the written approval of the Secretary of State. The Department for Transport is not aware of any such plans.
Railways: East of England
Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his estimate is of the percentage of rail fares for journeys commencing or terminating at stations within (a) the east of England, (b) Norfolk and (c) Great Yarmouth constituency that are regulated. [21091]
Mrs Villiers: The Department for Transport does not hold information about rail journeys at the level of detail requested.
Across the overall network, over 60% of all rail journeys are made on tickets that are regulated and we expect that the same level would probably apply for journeys made in the east of England, Norfolk and the Great Yarmouth constituency.
Railways: Electricity Generation
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the electricity requirements are for High Speed 2; and (a) from what sources and (b) by what means he expects that electricity to be generated. [19969]
Mr Philip Hammond: The Project Specification annex to the "HS2 Technical Appendix", published by HS2 Ltd in March 2010 alongside its main report, sets out an assumption of the provision of 25-0-25kV AC autotransformer fed overhead line equipment, with additional provisions for, for example, lighting along the line and portable maintenance equipment.
Issues of electricity generation and supply are outwith the Department for Transport's remit. HS2 Ltd's report and supporting documents are available at:
HS2 Ltd has also published an 'HS2 Traction Energy Modelling' report, available at:
which found that a 200m train from Euston to Birmingham with two stops would consume 4700 kWh energy (after regenerative braking benefit of 437 kWh), and that the total annual energy consumption on the line would be 150 million kWh based on 0.048 kWh/seat-km and 3.2 billion seat-km (running 50 x 200m trains per day each way).
Railways: Electrification
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what capital funding he plans to allocate to (a) electrification of the Manchester to Liverpool line, (b) electrification of the Manchester-Preston-Blackpool line and (c) the Northern Hub for each year of the spending review period. [19795]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 26 October 2010]: On 20 October, the Chancellor announced that electrification of the lines between Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Blackpool would go ahead. We are working with Network Rail to determine the timetable for the completion of these schemes, and ways of delivering them as cost-effectively as possible, and will make an announcement in due course.
We will consider the Northern Hub proposal once Network Rail has completed further development work, and we are able to assess the costs, benefits and affordability of the scheme for the next railway control period commencing in 2014.
Railways: Fares
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the compound percentage change in regulated rail fares in each year from 2011 to 2015. [19793]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 26 October 2010]: The Chancellor announced that the regulated fares cap will stay at RPI+1% for January 2011, change to RPI+3% from January 2012 to January 2014 and then revert back to RPI+1% in 2015. This translates to a 10% real increase.
Railways: Finance
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much each train operating company has invested in the rail network in each year since 2002. [18369]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 20 October 2010]: The Department for Transport does not hold figures for annual investment by train operating companies.
In addition to investment in works such as Project Evergreen being undertaken by Chiltern Railways, train operating companies invest significant sums to enhance stations and associated facilities.
Most investment in rail infrastructures is currently undertaken by Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd. Full details of their current investment plans can be found at:
Details of Network Rail's actual investment expenditure are available in their published annual report and accounts at:
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browseDirectory.aspx?dir=\ Annual%20Report%20and%20Accounts &pageid=3221&root
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what preliminary results he has received from the rail value for money study undertaken by Sir Roy McNulty. [20717]
Mrs Villiers: On 14 June 2010, the Secretary of State for Transport announced that he asked for the independent review of value for money in the rail industry to report back early with its initial findings.
Initial findings are due to be published shortly.
Railways: Noise
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the vibration levels likely to be produced by High Speed 2 trains. [19975]
Mr Philip Hammond: HS2 Ltd included an initial assessment of vibration effects in its "Appraisal of Sustainability: A Report for HS2, Non Technical Summary," found at:
Further information will be provided in the full appraisal, which will be published to inform the forthcoming public consultation. It is HS2 Ltd's expectation that there will not be perceptible vibration above tunnelled sections.
Tony Baldry:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the assumptions in his Department's report on "Appraisal of sustainability: new technical summary on High Speed (HS2)", what
estimate he has made of the number of dwellings likely to be affected by peak noise levels of (a) max 73Db(a) and (b) 66Db(a) as a HS2 train passes by. [20027]
Mr Philip Hammond: The numbers of dwellings affected by noise at different levels would vary significantly as a result of the specific horizontal and vertical route alignment selected. Ministers have not yet made a decision on the exact route that they will recommend for consultation, so these figures cannot currently be finalised. However, estimates of the numbers of properties that may be affected by noise will be included in the full Appraisal of Sustainability which will be published to inform the forthcoming consultation. Further information on noise and a summary of the number of dwellings considered to be impacted by the route recommended by HS2 Ltd in its March report are reproduced in the explanatory note on noise which is available on the HS2 Ltd website at:
Railways: North West
Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for funding rail line improvements between Darwen and Manchester. [20659]
Mrs Villiers: The Government have no current plans to fund rail line improvements between Darwen and Manchester. However, the local authorities are undertaking studies with Network Rail to investigate the feasibility of introducing an all-day half-hourly service between Blackburn, Darwen and Manchester. It is anticipated that local authorities would fund both capital costs and the additional subsidy requirement arising from operating a more frequent service.
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much of his Department's proposed expenditure on improvement of rail platforms he plans to allocate to (a) the north-west and (b) Wirral. [21282]
Mrs Villiers: The spending review confirmed approval for a package of works totalling around £100 million to allow increased rail capacity in the north-west. The package includes track and signalling modifications, as well as platform lengthening and station improvements.
Full details of how this spending is broken down are a matter for Network Rail, as it delivers the high-level outputs specified by Government.
Road Traffic: Opening of Parliament
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of congestion in Southwark, Waterloo and Vauxhall caused by traffic disruption on the day of the State Opening of Parliament. [18615]
Mrs Villiers: The Department for Transport is not able to produce the information requested from the data we currently hold.
Roads: Privatisation
Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential effects of privatising the motorway and trunk road networks on the (a) level of receipts from (i) vehicle tax discs and (ii) fuel tax, (b) maintenance and (c) policing of such networks; and if he will make a statement. [20681]
Mike Penning: We have no plans to privatise the road network. Therefore, we have carried out no analysis of the effects of privatisation.
Roads: Sandwell
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents were recorded in Sandwell in each of the last five years. [21321]
Mike Penning: The information requested is shown in the following table.
| Reported personal injury road accidents in Sandwell authority, 2005-09 | |
| Number of accidents | |
Roads: West Midlands
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fatal road accidents there have been in West Bromwich East constituency in each month of the last three years. [20764]
Mike Penning: The information requested is shown in the following table.
| Reported fatal road accidents: West Bromwich East constituency( 1) , 2007-09 | |||
| Accidents | |||
| Month | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| (1) Based on 2010 constituency boundary | |||
Rolling Stock
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with suppliers on (a) rolling stock and (b) locomotives for High Speed 2. [19971]
Mr Philip Hammond: None. However, a strong national and international design and manufacturing base exists.
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the outcomes of the spending review on his plans for the delivery of new rolling stock. [20355]
Mrs Villiers: The spending review announcement confirms the Government's joint commitment with the Mayor of London to delivering Crossrail in its entirety. The delivery of Crossrail will include the procurement of new rolling stock.
Deployment of other new rolling stock is linked to decisions on several inter-dependent rail schemes. We are currently considering revised proposals from Agility Trains for the Intercity Express Programme, which would provide new intercity rolling stock. Announcements on the Thameslink programme and the High Level Output Specification rolling stock programme, which would provide new and cascaded rolling stock, will be made in light of the Government's final decision on the Intercity Express Programme.
Rolling Stock: North West
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable has been set for purchasing new rolling stock for the north-west. [20362]
Mrs Villiers: Deployment of carriages to the north -west is linked to decisions on other, inter-dependent rail schemes. We are currently considering revised proposals from Agility Trains for the Intercity Express Programme. Announcements on the Thameslink programme and the HLOS rolling stock programme will be made in light of the Government's final decision on the Intercity Express Programme. Decisions on those schemes will then determine the availability of new and cascaded rolling stock for the north-west.
Severn Crossing: Finance
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much debt is owed to Severn River Crossing plc for the construction of the second Severn crossing, expressed in (a) 2010 and (b) 1989 prices. [20876]
Mike Penning: In their 2009 accounts SRC detail the amounts falling due to creditors after more than one year as £338.8 million, valued at the end of December 2009. Specifically they are the index linked debenture stock due (£200.1 million) for repayment in 2013 and the index linked Government subordinated debt (£138.7 million) due for repayment at the end of the concession period.
In July 1989 prices, the £338.8 million liability (as at end December 2009) would be £179.5 million. In September 2010 prices, this liability would be £350.1 million.
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects all debts to Severn River Crossing plc to have been repaid. [20877]
Mike Penning: Severn River Crossing plc is expected to repay the subordinated debt owed to the Government at the end of the concession period. This is currently forecast for the first half of 2017.
Severn Crossing: Manpower
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff of (a) his Department and (b) the Highways Agency are deployed full- or part-time on matters relating to the transfer of the Severn crossings into Government ownership. [20878]
Mike Penning: An official from the Highways Agency attends four half-day meetings a year with Severn River Crossing plc to discuss end of concession transfer and planning issues. No consideration is given otherwise to matters relating to transfer by either the Highways Agency or departmental staff. The current expectation is that the transfer will not happen until 2017.
Speed Limits
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of 20 miles per hour zones in (a) towns and (b) villages. [17199]
Mike Penning: Decisions about setting 20 miles per hour zones are for local authorities, who are best placed to assess all the factors in individual cases.
The independent Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has published several pieces of research, including TRL Report 215: Review of traffic calming schemes in 20mph zones and TRL Report 363 Urban speed management methods.
Additionally in September 2009 the Department published a review of how 20mph speed limit zones are implemented in England. It is available on our website at:
In addition to the above, the Department has researched the effects of the introduction of widespread 20 mph limits in Portsmouth and published the findings on our website at:
Trains: Public Lavatories
Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what obligations his Department places on train operating companies to provide lavatories on rail services of (a) up to 30 minutes, (b) between 30 minutes and one hour, (c) between one and two hours, (d) between two and three hours and (e) more than three hours in duration. [19348]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 25 October 2010]: The provision of toilets on trains is not specified as part of rail franchises. The rolling stock used on by individual train companies is generally an operational matter for them to decide, along with the toilet facilities they contain.
However, a Department for Transport consultation has recently closed on proposals to reform rail franchising. An option under consideration is to include passenger satisfaction measures as one of the ways to assess the performance of train operating companies under their franchise. Passenger views on the provision of toilet facilities could be expected to affect overall perception on the quality of service provided by a train operator.
Transport: Finance
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which highways authorities major schemes remain under review; and when he expects to announce his decision on the future of each of those schemes. [19813]
Mr Philip Hammond [holding answer 27 October 2010]: I refer the hon. Member to my announcement of 26 October 2010, Official Report, columns 177-79. Further information has been placed in the Library.
Transport: Greater London
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding he plans to allocate to transport services in London in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12. [17712]
Mrs Villiers: The information is as follows:
The Secretary of State has determined the level of GLA transport grant for Transport for London for the year at £2,766,694,000.00. In addition the Department for Transport will pay Transport for London grant of £392,500,000.00 by way of support for its obligations in relation to the former Metronet PPPs, and £24,932,347.14 for the purposes of London Overground. Other smaller amounts of funding for specific projects have been allocated to Transport for London, and to London boroughs, during the year, for example in relation to potholes.
The Secretary of State expects to determine the level of GLA transport grant for 2011-12 shortly before the start of that financial year. He set out his intentions regarding future funding for Transport for London at the recent Spending Review; details of Transport for London's new funding agreement from the Government are available on the Department's website in the letter dated 20 October from the Secretary of State to the Mayor of London.
The Department also allocates funding to other transport operators who provide or facilitate services in London, for example Network Rail, train operating companies or local bus operators.
Underground Railways: North East
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to implement his proposal for funding of a Tees Valley light rail metro system; and if he will make a statement. [19498]
Norman Baker [holding answer 25 October 2010]: The Department for Transport has no plans to implement a Tees Valley light rail metro system. We are aware of a long-standing proposal from local authorities in the area for such a system, but no official funding bid has ever been received by the Department.
Some early elements of the Tees Valley Metro project were prioritised by the north-east in the previous Government's Regional Funding Allocations system. These schemes are not being considered for major scheme funding in the spending review period and we hope to advise promoters how best to proceed once we have made progress in developing a new funding framework for major schemes for the future. In the meantime, promoters may also seek alternative funding sources.
On 20 October the Department announced that the agreed funding for the Tees Valley Bus Network would be accelerated so that the scheme can be delivered to a quicker timescale.
Defence
Aircraft Carriers
Mr Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice he received on the cost-effectiveness of (a) cancelling and (b) proceeding with the aircraft carrier construction programme; and if he will publish each submission he received indicating that cancellation would be the more expensive option. [19197]
Peter Luff: The Prime Minister received advice on the aircraft carrier construction programme as part of the strategic defence and security review process. BAE Systems separately wrote to the Prime Minister setting out the company's assessment of costs. The Government's conclusions have been fully explained in the strategic defence and security review, which was published on 19 October.
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what will be the cost of modification of the two new aircraft carriers to allow the use of the carrier-variant of the Joint Strike Fighter. [20261]
Peter Luff: As announced on 19 October 2010, we plan to deliver the carrier strike capability from around 2020 with the carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter and Queen Elizabeth class carrier fitted with catapults and arrestor gear. We are investigating the optimum means of achieving this outcome, working with industry and our international partners. No decisions have been taken as to the type of system, delivery dates or procurement route, or whether both carriers will be converted.
Armed Forces: Higher Education
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the UK's armed forces he has estimated will take up places at universities in England in each of the next five years; at what cost to the Exchequer; and if he will make a statement. [19756]
Peter Luff: In addition to formal attendance at universities either as an undergraduate or postgraduate, we encourage the attainment of academic qualifications in a part-time capacity and have in place a variety of funding mechanisms ranging from sponsorship through to standard and enhanced learning credits. In addition many military courses attract accreditation and we work closely with academic institutions to facilitate the attainment of qualifications such as the MBA programme with the Open University.
The Government are considering the recommendations made by Lord Browne in his independent review into higher education funding and student finance and we have also published the findings of the strategic defence and security review. In the light of these separate pieces of work, the likely uptake of places and the cost of attendance at university for the next five years, in England or elsewhere, cannot be determined with accuracy.
Armed Forces: Training
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the average cost of training (a) a Royal Marine commando and (b) an Army infantry soldier in the latest period for which figures are available. [21172]
Nick Harvey: The training cost for a Royal Marine from recruitment to graduation from the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM) is in the region of £54,000. Other than local familiarisation training, a graduate from CTCRM is fully deployable.
The training cost for an infantry soldier from recruitment to graduation from the Infantry Training Centre is in the region of £31,000. However, a soldier is not deployable at that stage and will undertake further training to become operationally effective within their unit. These further costs are not collected centrally and will include an element of local training where the cost is not easily identifiable, for example one-to-one instruction by a non-commissioned officer improving tactical knowledge of a unit's operational function.
Defence: Expenditure
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which (a) service and (b) civilian allowances will be affected by his proposed reductions in expenditure. [19650]
Peter Luff: The final shape of the package will depend on further work, which will be subject to full consultation with relevant parties, including the trades unions, as well as the results of mandatory assessments on the impact that the measures will have on sustainability, equality and diversity and health and safety.
Defence: Exports
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take to increase defence exports. [19638]
Mr Gerald Howarth: This Government have made defence exports a priority. UKTI Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI DSO), part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills but working in close harmony with the MOD, is responsible for promoting British defence industry overseas. As the hon. Member knows only too well, defence exports make an important contribution to sustaining our defence industry. They uphold tens of thousands of highly skilled jobs and maintain prosperity for the individuals in the industry and for taxpayers as well. In addition to this, defence exports tie into a broader diplomacy initiative by enhancing relationships with key strategic partners.
This Government intend to increase defence exports through an active and innovative programme for defence diplomacy. We are working closely with industry to gain a clear understanding of the marketplace and to grasp the genuine potential to achieve exports. We are now considering export issues early in our acquisition process and aim to identify how early adjustments can be made to our own procurement programme to improve export prospects. We will utilise modular design opportunities to provide enhanced flexibility to both the company and customer by considering differing capability requirements.
We continue to support industry through responsible exports consistent with maintaining the effectiveness of the UK's strategic export controls. The first duty of the Government is to safeguard our national security and support for our troops. Effective strategic export controls are essential in fulfilling that commitment, and as such, we will retain an appropriate export licensing process.
Departmental Research
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department's research and development budget is to be frozen in cash terms in 2011-12 at 2010-11 rates. [20711]
Peter Luff: The Department's research and development expenditure will not be frozen in cash terms in 2011-12 at 2010-11 rates.
Marchwood Military Port
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether his Department has had contact with Associated British Ports on the future of the Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre in the last 12 months; and if he will place in the Library a copy of any documents relating to any potential purchasers of the freehold of the site of that centre; [20284]
(2) whether it is intended to continue to use the Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre for its present military purposes after any sale of the freehold by his Department; [20285]
(3) what assessment has been made of the practicability of transferring to other locations the present military functions of the Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre; [20286]
(4) whether the 17th Port and Maritime Regiment will continue to (a) be based or (b) have the use of facilities at the Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre; and if he will make a statement; [20287]
(5) if he will take account of public opinion in the local community about the intended use of the Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre in considering proposals from potential future purchasers. [20288]
Peter Luff:
Marchwood's continued suitability as the Ministry of Defence (MOD)'s Sea Mounting Centre has been tested by regular reviews, most recently in the work done to inform the strategic defence and security review and spending review announcements on 19 and 20 October. It remains our view that no other UK location offers the benefits available at Marchwood nor
could deliver the Defence Sea Mounting Centre requirement as cost-effectively. This will continue to be tested throughout the sale process.
The current assumption, which will be tested to deliver value for money, is that Marchwood would continue to deliver the Sea Mounting Centre services required by the MOD under private ownership. 17 Port and Maritime Regiment's continued requirement to use the accommodation and training facilities will be taken into account as planning for the sale of Marchwood develops. We will also consult with the relevant authorities and stakeholders as necessary.
While an exploratory letter was received from Associated British Ports on the long-term operation of the Sea Mounting Centre in February 2010, it would not be appropriate to publish commercially confidential and sensitive information.
RAF Kinloss: Rescue Services
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to announce his decision on the future of the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre at RAF Kinloss. [20213]
Nick Harvey: Work is now under way to consider the implications of decisions announced in the strategic defence and security review for UK military bases, including the future of the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre at RAF Kinloss.
Rescue Services: Private Finance Initiative
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to announce his decision on the future of the search and rescue private finance initiative contract suspended in June 2010. [21169]
Peter Luff: On 17 June 2010 the Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced a review of the approval of the search and rescue helicopter project in the context of the wider pressures on public spending. As soon as this review is complete an announcement on the way forward will be made.
Type 26 Frigates
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of procuring a Type 26 frigate in the latest period for which figures are available; [21170]
(2) what estimate he has made of the total cost to the public purse of the Type 26 frigate. [21273]
Peter Luff: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Glasgow South West (Mr Davidson) on 27 October 2010, Official Report, column 377W.
UAVs: Afghanistan
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what savings he expects to accrue to his Department as a result of withdrawing the Sentinel from service after completion of its operations in Afghanistan. [19564]
Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) made estimates of the cost savings accrued from measures in the strategic defence and security review for the purposes of formulating policy. Some of these have been published to help inform the public debate. Release of further detail may prejudice the MOD's negotiating position with its commercial suppliers. Furthermore, final savings figures will depend on detailed implementation, which will generally be subject to full consultation with all relevant parties, including the trades unions and the devolved Administrations, as well as the results of mandatory assessments on the impact that the measures will have on sustainability, equality and diversity, and health and safety. The MOD is therefore not prepared to release more detailed figures at this time.
International Development
Climate Change: Finance
Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department plans to allocate to international climate finance programmes in each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15. [19827]
Mr O'Brien: The UK has committed to providing £1.5 billion in fast start finance over the period 2010-12, to help the developing world carry out the urgent work needed to adapt to climate change, adopt clean technology and reduce emissions from deforestation. Of this, a total of £511 million has so far been approved for specific multilateral programmes (subject to demonstration of value for money and results).
The spending review provides a total of £2.9 billion of UK international climate finance (ICF) over the spending review period. Of this total, the Department for International Development (DFID) will be responsible for approximately £1.8 billion. Further allocations will be informed by the ongoing bilateral and multilateral aid reviews, which are assessing how we can maximise the impact of UK aid and achieve value for money.
Institute for Fiscal Studies
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on services provided by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in the last 24 months. [20470]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has no record of any expenditure for services from the Institute for Fiscal Studies in the last 24 months.
Members: Correspondence
Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he plans to reply to the letter of 1 September 2010 from the hon. Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey on employment of UK contractors for reconstruction work in Pakistan. [20388]
Mr Duncan:
A response was sent to the letter from the hon. Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey about the employment of UK contractors for reconstruction
work in Pakistan on 30 September 2010. A copy of that letter was emailed to the hon. Member's office on 26 October 2010.
Sri Lanka: Internally Displaced Persons
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Government of Sri Lanka on the return to their homes of internally displaced people in that country. [20524]
Mr Duncan: Ministers have not had any discussions with the Sri Lankan Government regarding the return of internally displaced people to their homes. The British high commissioner in Colombo discusses this issue regularly with the Government of Sri Lanka. We encourage the authorities to allow those people who remain in camps for internally displaced people to return to their home areas as soon as possible.
Sri Lanka: Overseas Aid
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's policy is on the provision of aid to Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement. [20525]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has no direct bilateral development programme with Sri Lanka. Over the last two years however, we have committed £13.5 million of humanitarian funding, all through the UN, Red Cross and NGOs. No funding has gone directly to the Government of Sri Lanka.
Uganda
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department has taken to implement the recommendations of the 2002 United Nations Human Development report on Uganda; and if he will make a statement. [20034]
Mr O'Brien: Before the 2006 Ugandan presidential elections the UK Government provided technical and financial support to the Uganda Electoral Commission through a multi-donor fund managed by the Danish International Development Agency.
For the presidential elections scheduled for February 2011, the UK Government are participating in a "Deepening Democracy" programme with other development partners including Denmark, Norway, Ireland, the Netherlands and Sweden. Achievements of this joint donor programme so far include enhanced scrutiny of the Executive by Parliament, more transparent and open electoral processes, organisational strengthening of political parties, inter-party dialogue, large-scale engagement with the electoral processes by civil society, promotion of conflict mitigation and resolution strategies and enhancing media freedom.
Yemen
Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes his Department has to seek to prevent Yemen from becoming a failed state. [20688]
Mr Duncan: As part of the UK Government's co-ordinated approach to Yemen, the Department for International Development's (DFID's) programme supports the Government of Yemen to address causes of instability. Increasing stability helps to prevent state failure. DFID's programmes provide direct support to the delivery of services for the poorest communities in Yemen: better education, improved access to water, health care, jobs, and justice and policing. DFID also provides humanitarian relief to those displaced by conflict.
DFID, with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, takes a leading role in the Friends of Yemen process, which co-ordinates international support for Yemen. Through this process, we are driving efforts to develop new ways to support Yemeni development priorities that directly tackle instability. The process has secured agreement from the Government of Yemen to deliver a range of reforms that will address immediate causes of instability, including for example, implementing an IMF programme that will help to stabilise the economy, and pursuing the National Dialogue to promote a political resolution of key grievances.
Cabinet Office
Central Office of Information: Newcastle upon Tyne
Sir Alan Beith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Central Office of Information posts he expects to be located in Newcastle-upon-Tyne at the end of 2011. [21070]
Mr Maude: I have asked the chief executive for COI to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Mark Lund, dated 1 November 2010:
As Chief Executive of the Central Office of Information (COI), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question 21070 regarding the number of posts based in our Newcastle-upon-Tyne Office.
The number of posts following the recent redundancy scheme will be 9 in November 2010, one request for voluntary redundancy was accepted mitigating the need for any compulsory redundancies. It is not possible to forecast the number of posts at the end of 2011, however it is not expected to change at this time.
NDPBs: Legal Aid
Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he has received representations on the issue of payments from the public purse of fees for legal advice sought by chief executives of non-departmental public bodies which are to close. [20032]
Mr Maude: No such representations have been received.
Voluntary Organisations: Equality
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department has taken to assist voluntary sector organisations contracted to deliver public services to fulfil equality duties in respect of their staff. [19877]
Mr Hurd:
In December 2009 the Cabinet Office published the refreshed Compact. The Compact is a long-standing agreement that sets out shared commitments and guidelines
for partnership working between government and the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector.
Included in the Compact is a section on advancing equality, which commits VCSE organisations to take practical action to eliminate discrimination and advance equality. It also commits the VCSE sector to putting strategies in place to promote equality.
The Compact is currently being renewed.
Voluntary Organisations: Innovation
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department is taking to encourage innovation in the voluntary sector. [19878]
Mr Hurd: We intend that commissioning of public services should be outcome based, leaving much more scope for innovative providers from the social enterprise, voluntary, charitable and small business sectors to bid.
Voluntary Organisations: Public Expenditure
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effect of reductions in public spending expenditure on levels of demand for services provided by the voluntary sector. [19874]
Mr Hurd: The Government recognise this is a particularly challenging time for the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector and are working closely with partners in the sector and across Government to understand and mitigate the impact of public spending reductions on the sector. It is currently too early to evaluate the impact of these reductions on demand for voluntary sector services; however the Cabinet Office is working with the Third Sector Research Centre to examine the exposure of the sector to public spending reductions.
The Government remain committed to ensuring the sector can play a key role in building a stronger civil society and are working to open up a range of opportunities for the sector. This includes a £100 million fund to support the sector in the transition to a tighter funding environment and delivering public services; work to open up new sources of funding through the Big Society Bank; and training of community organisers to support and galvanise change where most needed in local communities. Throughout this the Government are dedicated to limiting the impact of spending reductions on the sector and are working with local partners and the sector to share best practice in reducing spending.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Finance
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department has taken to reduce administrative costs on farmers since her appointment. [20078]
Mr Paice:
I announced a Farming Regulation Review in June, which aims to reduce red tape on farmers and the associated administrative costs. To carry this forward,
Richard Macdonald is chairing the Task Force on Farming Regulation to identify ways of reducing regulatory burdens on business and to advise on how best to achieve a risk-based system of regulation. The task force's full list of members, terms of reference and details of how the wider farming and food sector can engage with its work can be found on the DEFRA website at:
The task force is consulting widely and meeting with farming organisations and others to obtain their views on what should be done. The task force will report to Government in April 2011.
Dogs
Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice her Department has issued to police forces and other enforcement bodies on enforcement of legislation designed to reduce the number of dog attacks. [20214]
Mr Paice: DEFRA issued new guidance on the enforcement of the legislation in place to control dangerous dogs last year. This was in order to assist police forces and local authorities in dealing with incidents brought to their attention involving dangerous dogs. The guidance can be found on the DEFRA website at:
Fisheries
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on (a) monitoring, (b) protecting and (c) surveying marine fisheries in each of the last five years. [18820]
Richard Benyon: The information requested is set out in the following table.
| £ | |||||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
| (1) Assumed to mean surveillance. | |||||
Flood Control
Mr Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to co-ordinate responses to a national emergency; and which of these steps derive from recommendations of the Pitt Report. [20426]
Richard Benyon: As the designated lead Department responsible for the overall management of the central Government response to major emergencies in nine areas, DEFRA has ensured plans are in place to co-ordinate that response.
In the case of flooding, DEFRA'S work programme following the Pitt report included many actions designed to improve the multi-agency response to flooding emergencies-at all levels from local to national. A progress report on the full programme was published in December 2009 and is available on DEFRA's website. Looking forward, a National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy is currently being prepared and will provide an overview of all flood risk management arrangements.
Mr Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what methodology she plans to use to determine the future of her Department's flood defence schemes. [21023]
Richard Benyon: During the spending review period we plan to reform the way in which funding is prioritised and allocated to projects, giving communities a bigger say in deciding what action is taken and when. We will consult on the approach as part of the forthcoming National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy.
Flood Control: Finance
Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of the proposed Comprehensive Spending Review efficiency savings from her Department's capital expenditure on its programme for improving flood defences; and if she will make a statement. [20440]
Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency is committed to deliver real term efficiency savings of at least 15% in procurement over the spending review period. In real terms, 15% efficiency savings in flood and coastal risk management procurement is equivalent to delivering an average of 2% more in terms of outcomes, each and every year, between now and 2015.
The Environment Agency is developing a new procurement strategy which will set out how these savings will be achieved. Its main contractual frameworks are due for renewal, and these present an opportunity to increasingly move towards a delivery model that commissions segments of capital and asset maintenance work to clearly defined service levels and outcomes.
Mr Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Association of British Insurers on the likely effects of reductions in her Department's flood defence budget on insurance premiums (a) nationally and (b) in areas of flood risk. [21021]
Richard Benyon:
DEFRA had discussions with key representatives from the insurance industry, the National Flood Forum, the Environment Agency and local
government at the Flood Insurance Summit in September. We agreed to continue working in partnership to ensure insurance remains widely available beyond 2013, when the current Statement of Principles agreement expires. DEFRA is also working to ensure that individuals benefit from improved insurance terms if they take responsibility for reducing their own flood risk.
Mr Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of (a) homes and (b) businesses likely to be affected by the reduction in her flood defence budget. [21022]
Richard Benyon: The spending review settlement will protect front line forecasting and warning services and incident response, and will prioritise the maintenance of existing defences. We expect to be able to deliver better protection to around 145,000 households by March 2015, and will support growth in activity by lead local flood authorities.
Mr Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the likely effect of the outcomes of the Comprehensive Spending Review on her Department's expenditure on flood defence in each year to 2015. [21024]
Richard Benyon: Flood risk management is a priority area for DEFRA, as is protecting front line services. We will be spending over £2.1 billion on flood and coastal erosion management over the spending review period. By March 2015, better levels of protection are expected for a minimum of 145,000 households in England. The precise annual breakdown has not yet been determined.
Mr Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many flood defence schemes in each (a) constituency and (b) local authority area will be affected by her Department's proposed spending reductions; and what discussions she has had with local authorities on that matter. [21025]
Richard Benyon: By March 2015, better levels of protection are expected for a minimum of 145,000 households in England. However, it is too early to say what this means for individual schemes and local authorities.
Higher Level Stewardship Scheme
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what discussions she has had with Natural England on the budget for the higher level stewardship scheme in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if she will make a statement; [19777]
(2) what discussions she has had with Natural England on in-year revision of the budget for the higher level stewardship programme. [19778]
Mr Paice:
DEFRA holds regular discussions with Natural England and other arm's length bodies, including on budgetary matters. We are working with Natural England to finalise the detailed budgets for Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) for the remainder of the lifetime of the Rural Development Programme for England,
and intend to confirm this shortly. Due to the level of applications for new HLS agreements already approved so far this year, Natural England has now temporarily suspended further approvals while the effects of the spending review outcome are assessed. This is necessary because new commitments made this year will impact on the budgets for subsequent years.
Land
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether non-statutory obligations on (a) management regimes, (b) access and (c) biodiversity in respect of land owned or managed by central Government departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies will be transferred to new owners or managers of such sites in circumstances in which responsibility for such land is transferred. [20864]
Richard Benyon: The transfer of non-statutory obligations would depend on the specific obligation relevant to each area and would need to be considered on a case by case basis.
Rural Areas: Impact Assessments
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish her Department's rural impact assessment of the 2010 Spending Review. [20450]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA has not carried out a formal assessment of the impact of the spending review on rural matters. It is the responsibility of each Government Department to ensure that the needs and interests of rural people, businesses and communities are addressed fairly in its implementation of the spending review.
DEFRA has supported Departments by providing guidance to assist them in carrying out their own analysis of whether rural and urban communities will be affected in different ways by spending decisions. DEFRA has also provided Her Majesty's Treasury with advice to help it identify potential adverse rural impacts of spending decisions. DEFRA officials will assist Departments in understanding the likely rural impacts as they work on implementing the spending review.
Education
Academies
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many Academy Orders he has agreed in relation to academies planning to open in September 2010. [12552]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 6 September 2010]: On the 26 May 2010, the Secretary of State invited schools to register their interest in becoming an academy. Following registration schools applied to convert to an academy and once applications were approved they were published on the Department's website at:
A list of all Academy Orders that have been approved is also available on the website.
Arts: Curriculum
Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the content of the creative curriculum in primary schools; and if he will make a statement. [15964]
Mr Gibb: A January 2010 Ofsted report into 'Learning: creative approaches that raise standards' was generally positive in its findings across the schools visited.
We are reviewing the National Curriculum, for both primary and secondary schools, to restore it to its original purpose - a core national entitlement organised around subject disciplines. A slimmed down National Curriculum will allow schools more freedom and time to build on the core entitlement to provide a rich educational experience for all their pupils and to continue to use their professional judgement to organise teaching as they see fit.
The Government want every child to experience a solid cultural education including learning an instrument and to sing. On 24 September the Secretary of State asked Darren Henley of Classic FM to hold a review of music education and, as part of his recommendations due before the end of the year, to indicate how the delivery of music education can show the way for cultural education.
Building Schools for the Future Programme
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to his answer to question 16 in oral evidence to the Select Committee on Education on 30 July 2010, HC 395-i, which (a) local authorities and (b) hon. Members have sent him a letter to thank him for ending Building Schools for the Future. [14972]
Mr Gibb: The Department for Education is able to provide information on the number of items of correspondence received on a specific subject but is unable to provide information on specific correspondence content.
However a significant proportion of correspondence received supports the Government's decision to end the Building Schools for the Future programme.
Building Schools for the Future Programme: Bolton
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what criteria were used to select for cancellation the new school building projects under the Building Schools for the Future programme in Bolton. [9751]
Mr Gibb: The Department has announced that Building Schools for the Future (BSF) projects that have reached Financial Close will continue, together with repeat projects which have Outline Business Case approval prior to 1 January 2010. All projects that have not reached Close of Dialogue will stop with immediate effect.
On 6 August the Department announced that 33 sample school projects will proceed and the 44 academies at the most advanced stage in their capital planning with Partnerships for Schools will also receive capital now. Decisions on any capital allocations for a further 75 will be decided in the current period.
Bolton has submitted its Outline Business Case to Partnerships for Schools, but this has not yet been approved. This will affect the plans for Bolton BSF projects as follows:
Bolton St Catherine's Academy: Unaffected-project continuing
Essa Academy: Unaffected-project continuing
Kearsley Academy: Decision on any capital allocation to be taken in the next few months
Bolton Muslim Girls School: Stopped
Ladybridge High School: Stopped
Little Lever Specialist Language College: Stopped
Rumworth Special School: Stopped
Sharples School: Stopped
Smithills: Stopped
Westhoughton High: Stopped.
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