Higher Education: Environment Protection
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions his Department has had with universities on the research and development of low-carbon energy technologies. [65412]
Mr Willetts: The Department for Business Innovation and Skills does not directly provide universities with funding for research into low-carbon energy technologies. However, the Department provides funding to the Research Councils, Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), which provide a range of support to universities.
The Research Councils UK Energy Programme is an ongoing investment in research and postgraduate training. The programme supports a full spectrum of energy research to help the UK meet its energy and environmental targets and to ensure a secure, affordable, sustainable energy supply for all.
Representatives from this Department and TSB attend the meetings of the Energy Programme Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). The membership of the SAC includes representatives from universities.
Higher Education: Pay
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made an assessment of the potential effects on pay and conditions for academic staff of price competition between public and private sector providers of higher education. [64762]
Mr Willetts: Higher education institutions are private sector organisations. All providers of higher education are responsible themselves for determining the pay and conditions of their staff, as such the Government have made no such assessment. Institutions which currently receive public funding often compete for the best staff nationally and internationally, and with the other professions.
Higher Education: Private Sector
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what dates the Minister for Universities and Science has met representatives of (a) Kaplan UK, (b) Kaplan Europe and (c) Apollo Group International since his appointment. [64480]
Mr Willetts: I met with representatives of Apollo Group on 10 May 2011. I attended an event where a representative of Kaplan Europe was present on 3 May 2011 and an event where a representative of Kaplan UK was present on 17 May 2011.
A quarterly-updated list of all BIS ministerial meetings with external organisations is also available at:
http://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/disclosure-ministerial-hospitality-received-department-for-business
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Higher Education: Public Expenditure
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was allocated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England for the purposes of widening participation in each of the last three years; how much he expects it to allocate for such purposes in each year of the comprehensive spending review period; and if he will make a statement. [64047]
Mr Willetts: The following table contains the funding allocated by HEFCE over the past three years.
| £ million to nearest whole number | |||
|
|
2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
The Government have been very clear about the importance of widening participation and improving fair access in higher education. We are establishing a new framework, with increased responsibility on universities to widen participation; and greater Government investment in improving attainment and access for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Higher education Institutions (HEIs) will deliver a range of outreach activities as part of their access agreements, agreed with the Office for Fair Access, and their widening participation strategic assessments, agreed with the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
The future role of the current Widening Participation Allocation will be considered as part of HEFCE's consultation on the use of the teaching grant to ensure that it supports successful widening participation activity in the future, and the Government have already made clear that this remains a priority.
The Government are investing in the new National Scholarship programme, providing funding for the programme with £50 million in the first year (2012/13), rising to £100 million in 2013/14 and £150 million a year from 2014/15. This funding will be allocated by HEFCE. Institutions will be expected to match fund Government's contribution.
In addition, every institution that intends to charge more than £6,000 for its courses must have an Access Agreement approved by the Director of Fair Access. Access Agreements are plans drawn up by institutions setting out how they will promote access to higher education from under-represented groups and the investment they will make in outreach and other access activities.
Higher Education: Standards
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what evidence he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effects of relaxing regulations governing providers' access to student loans and university accreditation on the quality of higher education. [64761]
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Mr Willetts: The Higher Education White Paper published on 30 June proposes a single, transparent regulatory framework with which all providers in the higher education system will need to comply if they wish to benefit from public funding. The purpose is to create a level playing field for all providers while maintaining high quality and academic standards in all higher education provision. We will consult in the summer on detailed proposals for the future regulatory framework.
Insolvency
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects on (a) the viability of businesses and (b) levels of employment of requiring suppliers to continue to supply companies in administration. [64831]
Mr Davey: The Government are currently considering the case for updating Section 233 of the Insolvency Act 1986 and the wider issue of termination clauses. My officials at The Insolvency Service are meeting with stakeholders to hear their views and to gauge an initial view of the merits of such a change, including an initial assessment of the costs and benefits. Further detailed quantifiable evidence will be required if this issue is taken forward.
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what organisations he has met to discuss termination clauses in insolvency cases since the written ministerial statement of 11 May 2011, Official Report, column 37WS, on a company voluntary arrangement moratorium. [64882]
Mr Davey: Officials have met various representative stakeholder groups to discuss the responses contained in the Restructuring Moratorium Consultation response document. These discussions included the topic of termination clauses in respect of the moratorium and other insolvency procedures. The organisations they have met are the British Bankers Association, the City of London Law Society (Financial Law Committee), R3 (Association of Business Recovery Professionals), Ernst and Young LLP and the Insolvency Lawyers' Association. Further meetings are scheduled to take place with the City of London Law Society (Insolvency Law Committee) and the Association for Financial Markets in Europe.
Labour Migration
Kris Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the performance of migrants in the labour market in the last five years. [64458]
Mr Davey: In the last five years the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has not commissioned or evaluated the performance of migrants in the labour market.
However, the Government have asked the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise it on migration matters. As a part of its work the MAC has published
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reports that describe the performance of migrants in the UK labour market. The MAC’S reports are available on its website:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/workingwithus/indbodies/mac/reports-publications/
National Income: Pakistan
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the total contribution to the economy of Pakistan of net exports, investment and aid from the UK as a proportion of that country's GDP. [63610]
Mr Prisk: UK exports of goods and services to Pakistan were worth £852 million in 2009 (corresponding to about 0.8% of Pakistan's GDP), while UK imports from Pakistan were worth £1,068 million (about 1.0%).
The stock of UK foreign direct investment in Pakistan at the end of 2009 was worth about £1,164 million (corresponding to about 1.1% of Pakistan's GDP). The total figure for Overseas Development Aid (including that for multilateral institutions in Pakistan) is £233.7 million (or about 0.22%% of Pakistan's GDP).
National Union of Rail Maritime and Transport Workers
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the cost to the public purse was of funding provided by his Department to (a) RMT Learning, (b) Rail Union Learning and (c) the RMT National Education Centre in each of the last 10 years. [64723]
Mr Willetts: The Government currently provide £21.5 million (via an annual grant agreement) to support the Union Learning Fund (ULF) and unionlearn. Since April 2007 the fund has been managed and administered by unionlearn, the TUC's learning and skills organisation under an agreement with the Department which directs the level and type of training that should be supported by the fund. Detailed information on allocation of funds to trade unions and cost of courses supported by ULF is not held centrally by the Department. However, TUC records indicate spend as follows:
|
|
Spend |
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(c) RMT National Education Centre
The TUC do not provide any direct resources for RMT education. This is funded by the union.
Projects supported under the Union learning Fund (ULF) have objectives specifically aimed at widening participation in learning: Skills for Life, social inclusion and equal opportunities and improving access to learning. Unions and other ULRs play a significant role to work effectively with employers, employees and learning providers in helping adults, particularly those who are poorly qualified and with no background in continuing their education, to become engaged and more confident with learning and improve their skills.
New Businesses
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized enterprise start-ups there were in (a) York, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) England in each year since 2005. [65677]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many small and medium-sized enterprise start-ups there were in (a) York, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) England in each year since 2005. [65677]
Statistics on the number of enterprise births each year are available from the ONS release on Business Demography at:
www.statistics.gov.uk
The table below contains the latest statistics available, which give the number of enterprise births by employment size in (a) York, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) England in each year since 2005. Information relating to 2010 will be available following release of the latest Business Demography publication in December 2011.
| Enterprises births in York unitary authority, Yorkshire and the Humber region and England, from 2005 to 2009 | ||||||
| York unitary authority | Yorkshire and the Humber | England | ||||
| 0 to 49 | 50 to 250 | 0 to 49 | 50 to 250 | 0 to 49 | 50 to 250 | |
|
|
(Small) | (Medium) | (Small) | (Medium) | (Small) | (Medium) |
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Office for Fair Access: Finance
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the budget of the Office for Fair Access in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement. [64496]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 7 July 2011]: In the financial year 2010/11 the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) baseline budget was £484,000, We have agreed in the course of this year (2011/12) to increase this to £630,000 and have said to the director that we will keep under review his needs for resources.
The Government have committed through the recent Higher Education White Paper to strengthen OFFA, so that it can provide more active and energetic challenge and support to universities and colleges. We will want to work with the director on the size and structure of OFFA but will make significantly more resources available, increasing capacity up to around four times its original level.
For any university wanting to charge more than £6,000, the Government issued, in February, new and strengthened guidance to the director of fair access asking the director to review access agreements annually rather than every five years as at present.
Regional Growth Fund: West Midlands
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many bids to the regional growth fund from the west midlands were unsuccessful in the first round. [63759]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 6 July 2011]: Sixty six bids from the west midlands were unsuccessful in round 1 of the Regional Growth Fund.
Skills Funding Agency: Public Expenditure
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding he plans to allocate to the Skills Funding Agency to fund the Government's new careers service (a) in total and (b) in each region in each year of the comprehensive spending review period; and if he will make a statement. [64048]
Mr Hayes: In “Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth”, the Government announced a budget for information, advice and guidance of £81.016 million in 2011-12 and an indicative budget of £84.438 million for 2012-13.
The budget will fund the development and running costs of the new National Careers Service which will be launched in April 2012, and development of Lifelong Learning Accounts to be launched in September this year. The web and telephone aspects of the National Careers Service will be delivered nationally. In financial year 2012-13, the Skills Funding Agency expects each region's allocation for delivery of the face to face element of the service to be broadly similar to those made in the current financial year.
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The regional allocations to support delivery of the face to face element of the service in 2011-12 are as follows:
| Region | Core (£) |
St George's Property Services London
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will examine the circumstances surrounding the appointment of Paul Clark and David Whitehouse as administrators of St George's Property Service London Ltd. [64945]
Mr Davey: Neither the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, nor I have the authority to investigate the circumstances surrounding the appointment of the administrators. The administrators act under the supervision of the court and issues associated with their appointment and subsequent actions have been the subject of judicial consideration. The Chancellor of the High Court in his judgment on appeal delivered on 14 October 2010 set aside an order to remove the administrators.
With regard to the general conduct of the administrators, any concerns would be for the consideration of the regulatory body responsible for authorising the administrators, in this case the Insolvency Practitioners Association (IPA).
Student Loans Company
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the future of the Student Loans Company; and if he will make a statement. [64044]
Mr Willetts: As set out in the Higher Education White Paper “Students at the heart of the system”, published in June 2011, there will be changes to student finance funding flows as the balance of public investment shifts from grants to loans. This has implications for how the Student Loans Company and the Higher Education Funding Council for England work together and they have already begun joint planning for closer co-operation in the future and to consider any structural changes that might be required. Any changes arising from the White Paper will take into account the service which applicants for student finance have a right to expect.
Students: Finance
Mr Lammy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2011, Official Report, column 478W, on students: finance, through what (a) radio, (b) press and (c) digital
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outlets the campaign has been provided; and what has been the cost of such advertising in each media. [58435]
Mr Willetts: I will write to the right hon. Member for Tottenham with details of the radio networks, publications and digital outlets used during the first phase of the higher education information campaign which ran between 9 May and the end of June and a copy will be placed in the Libraries of the House. In total the Department has thus far allocated nearly £2.5 million to its information campaign. The campaign is designed to be proportionate while achieving its aim of ensuring that prospective students and their families find out about the full package of support available for access to higher education. During the first phase the expected campaign costs on the specified media requested, which excludes costs for a youth media partnership including television and other activities, are set out as follows:
(a) radio is expected to cost £257,328.
(b) press advertising is expected to cost £98,801.
(c) digital is expected to cost £76,291. In addition paid search via digital media is expected to cost £69,322.
A further information campaign burst will commence in the autumn alongside other initiatives.
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2011, Official Report, column 573W, on students: finance, what expenditure his Department expects to incur on advertisements (a) through radio, (b) through television, (c) online and (d) through other media to communicate student finance arrangements for financial years (i) 2011-12 and (ii) 2012-13. [60652]
Mr Willetts: Decisions about what expenditure will be incurred in 2011-12 by the Department and the Student Loans Company (SLC) will be proportionate and any additional expenditure timed to coincide with those periods when students and their parents/carers need information. Account will also be taken of the evaluation of the first phase of campaign activity and, in the case of the SLC, application numbers. It is not therefore possible to say how any additional expenditure will be allocated in 2011-12.
However, of the £1.475 million allocated to the information campaign, aimed at ensuring potential students and their parents or carers know about the full package of support from 2012, the following sums have been allocated to date. Information is also supplied covering the expenditure by the SLC for those students considering higher education in 2011:
| Expenditure by media covering the 2011-12 financial year | ||
| £ | ||
|
|
BIS | SLC |
| (1) TV: This was a media partnership which provides access to several media channels including Channel 4 youth oriented TV channels. (2) In addition £69,322 was paid for digital search. | ||
An additional budget of £960,000 has recently been approved for a direct mailing to potential students, school road shows, additional evaluation and an enhancement to the campaign website.
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Budgets for 2012-13 expenditure are not yet known.
Students: Loans
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) whether his Department's consultation on potential early repayment mechanisms for student loans applies to sums which have already been borrowed but not yet repaid; [65297]
(2) whether the Government's consultation on the introduction of early repayment mechanisms for student loans applies only to loans taken out for the academic years 2012/13 and beyond. [65298]
Mr Willetts: The potential early repayment mechanisms, which are currently the subject of consultation, would be applied only to student loans provided from academic year 2012/13 onwards as part of the new student finance system.
Student loans provided under the existing income contingent repayment system would not be affected by any early repayment mechanism, were one to be introduced. Such a system would not apply to either existing loans or those issued in the future to students who started their course prior to September 2012, and who remained eligible for loans under the current system of student finance.
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of university undergraduates starting courses in autumn 2012 are expected to take out a taxpayer-funded loan if there are (a) penalties and (b) no penalties for early repayment. [65299]
Mr Willetts: The Department currently assumes that of the students starting courses in autumn 2012 that are eligible to take out a taxpayer-funded fee loan, 90% will do so.
The Government are currently consulting on potential early repayment mechanisms. As part of this consultation we are seeking views regarding the potential impact on borrowers of the proposed options.
Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what date (a) officials in his Department were, (b) Ministers in his Department were and (c) he was informed of the outcome of the tender for the Thameslink rolling stock contract. [64749]
Mr Prisk: Officials in this Department were formally notified late on 14 June 2011 and I and other BIS Ministers were fully informed of the details of the final decision on 15 June 2011.
Thameslink: Contracts
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on the decision to award the Thameslink contract to an overseas consortium. [63730]
Mr Prisk:
Ministers are not allowed to discuss the details of individual bids for contracts before they are awarded. The Invitation to Tender produced in 2008
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specified the evaluation criteria by which bids for the Thameslink contract would be judged. The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and I have jointly written to the Prime Minister outlining our plan for the Growth Review to fully explore the opportunity to take a more strategic approach to major public procurement.
THQ Digital Studios
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2011 to the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, Official Report, columns 480-1W, on THQ, what discussions UK Trade & Investment officials have had with representatives of THQ on the closure of its Warrington studios. [64169]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 6 July 2011]: A UK Trade & Investment official met with the Senior Vice President, European Publishing in Woking on 23 March 2011 and more recently met with the Executive Vice President of Global Publishing in the USA on 8 June 2011. Neither mentioned the closure of the Warrington studios at these meetings.
TUC Education
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department provided to TUC Education in each of the last 10 years. [64725]
Mr Willetts: Since April 2010, the Skills Funding Agency has been responsible for funding post-19 further education (FE) and skills provision delivered through FE colleges and training organisations (the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) had this responsibility from 2001).
Each academic year, FE colleges and training organisations receive a post-19 funding allocation at the programme level (for example budgets for adult skills, adult safeguarded learning and/or offender learning and skills). As funding is not allocated at the learning aim level the amount of money spent on TUC learning aims is not reported centrally by the Skills Funding Agency (or the LSC previously).
From the 2011/12 academic year we have introduced a single adult skills budget. This will provide FE colleges and training organisations with the flexibility to offer the range and balance of programmes, from basic skills to higher-level skills, in the mode of delivery that will best meet the needs of learners, employers and communities (classroom, workshop, online and in the workplace).
Union Modernisation Fund
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made a value for money assessment of the use of the funding from the public purse for each round of the Union Modernisation Fund. [64722]
Mr Davey:
Yes. The successful projects from each round of the Union Modernisation Fund are evaluated
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and the results published to enable others to test innovative new ideas, to learn what works and to apply these lessons more widely.
Evaluation reports for rounds one and two can be found on the BIS website as follows:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/Policies/employment-matters/strategies/umf
Plans are now being considered for the evaluation of round three projects when they are completed.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department provided to each trade union under each round of the Union Modernisation Fund; and for what purposes each such amount was provided. [64724]
Mr Davey: A list of the trade unions projects supported under Union Modernisation Fund rounds one to three will be placed in the Libraries of the House. Further information on all projects can be found on the BIS website as follows:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/Policies/employment-matters/strategies/umf
Working Hours: EU Law
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) correspondence and (b) meetings (i) Ministers and (ii) senior officials of his Department have had with (A) the UK Permanent Representative to the EU and (B) the Department of Health, on revisions to the application of the European Working Time Directive in the last 12 months. [64181]
Mr Davey: Restricting the application of the Working Time Directive in the United Kingdom is a key coalition commitment and Ministers and officials in this Department work closely with the office of the UK Permanent Representative to the EU and with the Department of Health, and with other interested Departments to achieve this objective. Although formal European negotiations on a revised directive have yet to begin, Departments have worked together to ensure UK views on the directive are known and understood, in particular by the Commission and other member states.
It would not be practical to record the ongoing, regular contacts between Departments on these matters. At ministerial level, in addition to discussions within Cabinet Committees, I met the Minister of State for Health my right hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Mr Burns) on 14 September 2010; the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, and I met the Secretary of State for Health, on 3 May, and the Secretary of State for Health and I will jointly visit Brussels on 13 July to meet with Commissioner Andor to discuss Working Time.
Transport
Airports
Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the importance of airports to the economy. [65178]
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Mrs Villiers: As part of the process of developing a sustainable framework for UK aviation, the Department for Transport published a scoping document in March 2011, chapter 2 of which provides information on the economic contribution of the air transport sector. The scoping document provides an opportunity for respondents submit further evidence on how aviation benefits the UK. The scoping document can be found at:
http://www2.dft.gov.uk/consultations/open/2011-09/consultationdocument.pdf
Aviation: Safety
Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will publish the Civil Aviation Authority's SAFE programme for the evaluation of aircrew fatigue; [64096]
(2) how much the Civil Aviation Authority has spent on the development of the SAFE programme for the evaluation of aircrew fatigue. [64098]
Mrs Villiers: The System for Aircrew Fatigue Evaluation (SAFE) was developed by the Civil Aviation Authority and QinetiQ. They jointly hold the intellectual property rights. The CAA is currently working with QinetiQ to make the SAFE software available for purchase.
The overall cost of the development of the SAFE programme is a matter for the CAA. The hon. Member may wish to write to the Chair of the CAA at CAA House, 45-59 Kingsway London WC2B 6TE.
Channel Tunnel Railway Line
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the contribution to the economy of High Speed 1. [62649]
Mrs Villiers: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has not made any economic assessment for High Speed one in the recent past. However, London and Continental Railway had commissioned an independent study carried out by Colin Buchanan and Voleterra on the economic impact for HS1 in 2009. A copy of the report can be found at:
http://www.colinbuchanan.com/uploads/cms/files/147e7dfc-2a53-4267-83d7-72bdde92062e.pdf
Channel Tunnel Railway Line: Leasing
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the agreement reached with Borealis Infrastructure and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan for the leasing of High Speed 1. [64775]
Mrs Villiers: The HS1 Concession is available on the High Speed 1 Limited website and can be downloaded at:
http://highspeed1.co.uk/regulatory/concession-agreement
Crossrail Line: Public Lavatories
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether toilet facilities will be fitted where a station is to be rebuilt under the Crossrail programme. [64781]
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Mrs Villiers: Although final decisions have not been taken, Crossrail Ltd and Network Rail currently envisage retaining/reintroducing toilets at stations where facilities already exist (but are not necessarily available for use at present) and to provide toilets at stations that are being significantly rebuilt.
SOCA: Licence Revocation
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people (a) had their pilot's licence revoked and (b) were disqualified from driving following a recommendation by the Serious Organised Crime Agency in each year since 2006. [63722]
Mrs Villiers: The CAA and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency do not hold information on where a Serious Organised Crime Agency recommendation has led to a licence revocation.
East Coast Railway Line: Franchises
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bid clarification requests were made by the shortlisted bidders in respect of the Greater Anglia franchise in the latest period for which figures are available; and to how many such requests his Department responded within its target time for such responses. [63631]
Mrs Villiers: As of 30 June, 719 clarification requests were made by shortlisted bidders. We undertake to respond expeditiously having regard to the extent and availability of information requested. We endeavour to respond to all queries before bids are submitted. We do not state a specific target time to respond but aim for a 14 calendar day turnaround for clarification requests for which information is readily available. We achieved this on 475 of the requests.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what target times have been set for the existing operator to respond to bid clarification requests from the shortlisted bidders for the Greater Anglia franchise. [63632]
Mrs Villiers: A general target time of 14 calendar days is stipulated for the existing operator to respond to bid clarification requests. However the time taken to respond can depend on the nature, extent and availability of the information requested.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of responses the current operator has provided to bid clarification requests within the target timeframe in respect of the bidding process for the Greater Anglia franchise. [63633]
Mrs Villiers: The current operator has had 448 clarification requests to respond to as of Friday 1 July 2011. Of these, 405 have been responded to and 220 of these were replied to within 14 calendar days, approximately 54%: The time taken to respond can depend on the nature, extent and availability of the information requested.
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High Speed 2
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the (a) costs and (b) effects of changes required to Euston station and its environs as a result of (i) High Speed 2 and (ii) Rail Package 2. [64060]
Mr Philip Hammond [holding answer 5 July 2011]: HS2 would enable the redevelopment of Euston station, which would likely be necessary regardless of whether HS2 proceeds. The redevelopment and expansion of the station, including 10 HS2 platforms, a new ground-level concourse serving the whole station, the reconfiguration and expansion of the existing inadequate London Underground ticket hall and a new bus interchange would cost £1.01 billion to construct. This figure excludes HS2 costs (e.g. design and project management), compensation costs, and risk and optimism bias. However, the Government anticipate that a considerable proportion of this cost could be recouped from at-station commercial and residential development. Information on the property and other impacts of the station redevelopment are set out in the Appraisal of Sustainability, available at:
http://highspeedrail.dft.gov.uk/library/documents
Rail Package 2 would require the provision of three additional platforms at Euston, which has been costed at £62 million, excluding on-costs, compensation, and any improvements to London Underground interfaces. This work would be conducted within the existing station footprint. It would be likely to cause significant disruption to passengers as there would be no scope to commission new platforms ahead of closing existing platforms for redevelopment. In addition, as the Euston works necessary for Rail Package 2 have not been developed to the same level of detail as the HS2 proposals, further technical work would be necessary to consider whether the proposals would not also require the widening and remodelling of the station throat and the London Underground interfaces.
Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the date is of the earliest letter from an hon. Member concerning High Speed 2 to which he has not yet replied; [57368]
(2) how many letters he has received from hon. Members concerning High Speed 2 in each month since January 2011; [57369]
(3) what the average time taken by his Department to respond to letters from hon. Members concerning High Speed 2 was in the latest period for which figures are available; [57370]
(4) whether he has a target time for responding to letters from hon. Members concerning High Speed 2. [57371]
Mr Philip Hammond: Since May 2010 my Department has received in excess of 1,100 letters from hon. Members concerning High Speed 2. In addition my Department has responded to over 3,000 letters from the public. Because some correspondence from hon. Members addresses transport-related matters in addition to High Speed 2, it is not possible to establish an exact figure.
For the same reason it is not possible to establish the average time taken by my Department to respond to High Speed 2 letters from hon. Members. The Department's
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published target is to answer correspondence from hon. Members within 15 working days of receipt.
Between January and June 2011, my Department received on average in excess of 75 letters per month from hon. Members concerning High Speed 2. In June 2011 in excess of 150 letters were received.
The earliest letter from an hon. Member concerning High Speed 2 to which my Department has not replied dates from 13 June 2011.
High Speed 1
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average seat occupancy rate of all passenger rail services on the High Speed 1 rail route was in the latest period for which figures are available. [49945]
Mrs Villiers: The Department for Transport does not hold this information. However, the Office of Rail Regulation publishes timetabled train-km and passenger-km for train operating companies from National Rail Trends. This information can be found on their website, at:
http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.2026
The last period for which information is available is Q3 or Q4 2010-11 (different measures have different availability). This information was used to inform calculations on train utilisation made in the McNulty report. However, data from LCR were specifically excluded from the McNulty calculations and are not published. This information was used to inform calculations on train utilisation made in the McNulty study into rail value for money, copies of which can be found at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/realising-the-potential-of-gb-rail
Invalid Vehicles: Regulation
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2011, Official Report, column 19W, on invalid vehicles: regulation, when he plans to announce the results of his Department's consultation on proposed changes to legislation governing powered mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs. [63052]
Norman Baker: I will be publishing on the Department for Transport's website a summary of the responses to the consultation, along with a statement on the way forward, this summer. The Department's full response to the consultation will be published later this year.
Large Goods Vehicles: EU Action
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of any correspondence he has received from the European Commission on the subject of increased permitted lengths for semi-trailer HGVs since 1 June 2011. [65254]
Mike Penning: I am placing in the Libraries of the House a copy of a communication from the Commission dated 1 July 2011 which invites the United Kingdom to delay implementing any regulations permitting longer semi-trailers until 2 April 2012, as it is currently considering making its own proposals on masses and dimensions of heavy goods vehicles and trailers.
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Network Rail: Allowances
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much Network Rail spent on first class rail travel for staff in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11; [64743]
(2) how much Network Rail spent on first class air travel for staff in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11; [64744]
(3) how much was claimed in expenses by the chief executive of Network Rail in 2009-10; and what the category was of each such claim; [64779]
(4) how much Network Rail spent on entertaining in 2009-10. [64780]
Mrs Villiers: Network Rail is an independent, private sector company, so Government do not hold the information requested. I would suggest that the hon. Member writes to David Higgins, the chief executive of Network Rail, at the following address:
David Higgins
Chief Executive
Network Rail
King’s Place
90 York Way
London N1 9AG.
Network Rail: Repairs and Maintenance
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that Network Rail informs train operating companies of proposed rail line closures at least 12 weeks in advance. [64105]
Mrs Villiers: Network Rail has an obligation in its network licence to provide this information to train operators, in most cases no later than 12 weeks before the date on which rail engineering works (which affect the national timetable) take place. The network licence is enforced by the Office of Rail Regulation in accordance with its economic enforcement policy, which states that it will concentrate on serious or systemic issues.
Rail Regulation
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has considered the merits of merging Passenger Focus with the Office of Rail Regulation. [59783]
Mrs Villiers: The Department for Transport considered the future of Passenger Focus as part of the public bodies review and concluded that it should be retained but with substantial reforms to reduce its cost to taxpayers while maintaining its core role as the statutory independent complaints body. The Department has not formally considered the merits of merging Passenger Focus with the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) and has no plans to take such a proposal forward.
Public Transport: Olympic Games 2012
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contingency plans are in place in case of strikes by transport workers during the London 2012 Olympics. [64941]
11 July 2011 : Column 202W
Mrs Villiers: Drawing on established well developed plans, transport operators are working in close collaboration on integrated contingency planning for the 2012 games for a wide range of possible scenarios, including industrial action. Each operator remains responsible for managing its own industrial relations.
Public Transport: Visual Impairment
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects of his Department's Access for All programme in improving accessibility on public transport for visually impaired people. [64801]
Norman Baker: An independent research study into the benefits of the Access for All programme was carried out by Steer Davis Gleave Ltd in 2009 and early 2010.
The study found that 65% of visually impaired passengers were satisfied with station facilities where Access for All work had been completed, compared to only 14% at stations not in the programme. In addition, almost half of visually impaired passengers said they had increased their use of Access for All stations as a result of the work.
Railways: Toilet Facilities
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what requirements his Department places on constructors of rail carriages in respect of the relationship between journey times and toilet facilities. [62818]
Mrs Villiers: For procurements where the Department for Transport takes a lead (such as the IEP) requirements relating to these matters are set out in the Train Technical Specifications which are on the departmental website.
In the cases where train operators procure rolling stock, it is a matter for them to define requirements which are likely to include journey time requirements and on board facilities such as toilets.
Railways: Birmingham
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the combined seat occupancy rate on passenger rail services on the main line (a) from London to Birmingham and (b) from Birmingham to London was in the most recent period for which figures are available. [49937]
Mrs Villiers: The Department for Transport does not hold this information. However, the Office of Rail Regulation publishes timetabled train-km and passenger-km for train operating companies from National Rail Trends. This information can be found on their website, at:
http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.2026
The last period for which information is available is Q3 or Q4 2010-11 (different measures have different availability). This information was used to inform calculations on train utilisation made in the McNulty study into rail value for money, copies of which can be found at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/realising-the-potential-of-gb-rail
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Railways: Brighton
Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Hastings and Rye of 16 May 2011, ref AR/EOR/00391 on the division of revenue on the Brighton mainline. [64506]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 7 July 2011]: I replied to this letter on Thursday 7 July 2011.
Railways: Electrification
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to undertake any cost-benefit analysis of the electrification of the (a) Midland Main Line from Bedford North to Sheffield via Derby, (b) Sheffield to Doncaster line, (c) Manchester-Leeds-Colton junction line and (d) Northallerton to Middlesbrough line. [64110]
Mrs Villiers: Network Rail assessed these electrification schemes as part of its Electrification Network Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS), published in October 2009. Network Rail is currently reviewing schemes assessed under its Electrification RUS as part of its input to the Initial Industry Plan (IIP) to be published in the autumn. The IIP will be used by Government to inform its High Level Output Specification expected in the summer of 2012.
Railways: Fares
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) pursuant to the oral statement of 19 May 2011, Official Report, columns 520-22, on the McNulty Report and West Coast Rail, what the terms of reference are for his Department's review of rail fares policy; [63980]
(2) whether he plans to consult (a) businesses and (b) employers as part of his Department's review of rail fares policy. [63981]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 5 July 2011]: The fares review will be a first step towards a fairer and more effective system. In order to ensure that it addresses the right issues and is carried out effectively, Government are currently considering the terms of reference, scope and timetable for the review, including the appropriate form of consultation.
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the oral statement of 19 May 2011, Official Report, columns 520-22, on the McNulty Report and West Coast Rail, what discussions he has had with business representatives on existing train ticketing structures; and what measures he proposes to encourage business use of the railway network. [63982]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 5 July 2011]: Ministers have regular discussions with business representatives on a range of issues.
The Government wish to see a modern customer-focused approach to fares and ticketing structures. The forthcoming fares review will consider this, in line with the Government's
11 July 2011 : Column 204W
vision for a rail system that supports a growing economy by improving capacity, connectivity, performance and productivity.
Railways: Fees and Charges
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Rail Penalty Fares Policy and Rules were last reviewed. [63966]
Mrs Villiers: The Penalty Fares Policy and Rules were last reviewed in 2009-10.
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of travellers on long-distance passenger rail services purchased (a) advance fares, (b) flexible tickets and (c) season tickets in the latest period for which figures are available. [63967]
Mrs Villiers: The Department for Transport does not hold this information in the form requested.
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many types of rail ticket are offered by train operating companies. [63968]
Mrs Villiers: There are five ticket types available: Advance, Off-Peak, Anytime, Season, and Rovers and Rangers. Details of all these tickets types can be found here:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/
Rescue Services: Scotland
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on the future of coastguard stations in Scotland; and what response he has made. [64660]
Mike Penning: The recent consultation on the modernisation of the coastguard prompted many responses. I continue to receive correspondence from the public and other interested parties about our plans for coastguard co-ordination centres in Scotland.
We expect to make an announcement about the way forward before the House rises for summer recess on 19 July.
Rescue Services: Sunderland
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of safety levels in waters off the port of Sunderland following the implementation of planned coastguard centre closures. [65285]
Mike Penning: No specific assessment of the waters off the port of Sunderland was made in the development of the proposals to modernise HM Coastguard that was published on 16 December 2010.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has assessed the risks nationally associated in relation to the coastguard's current operation and how those risks are. mitigated by the modernisation proposals. On 11 February, the MCA published a suite of documents that provide a
11 July 2011 : Column 205W
broad outline of the consideration of impact and risk in respect of the proposals. These documents are available on the MCA's website at:
www.dft.gov.uk/mca
River Thames: Bridges
Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he has given to the construction of a new Thames river crossing east of Blackwall to relieve traffic on the Dartford to Thurrock crossing. [64740]
Mike Penning: The Department for Transport published a report in April 2009 on the current and future capacity requirements at the Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing.
The Department made clear in its spending review announcement that it would embark on a review of the options for future capacity in the Lower Thames. The Department is in the process of programming this work.
Following that review, which is expected to take around 12 to 18 months to complete, the Department's intention, as part of the statutory process, would be to publicly consult on the merits of the potential options.
11 July 2011 : Column 206W
Roads: Repairs and Maintenance
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with National Grid on the effect on road congestion of the over-running of street works. [64109]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport holds regular discussions with the industry body the National Joint Utilities Group, of which the National Grid is a member. These discussions cover a wide range of matters, including over-running street works and the resulting impacts on congestion.
Rolling Stock: Procurement
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 28 April 2011, Official Report, column 545W, on railways: rolling stock, what additional capacity the new carriages will create (a) in total, (b) for each rail franchise and (c) for each new rail project. [62497]
Mrs Villiers: The information requested is in the following table.
|
|
Number of new vehicles in daily service | Capacity (seats) |
| (1) Excludes fleet spares | ||
Street Wardens
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to facilitate the introduction of generic street wardens as specified in the provisions of the Sustainable Communities Act 2007. [61697]
Norman Baker [holding answer 23 June 2011]:In the absence of a robust case for change, we have no current plans to amend either the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 or our operational guidance relating to the limitations of civil enforcement officer duties. We will of course consider proposals for change if there is a well argued case to do so.
Thameslink: Contracts
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the number of jobs which (a) will be created in the UK as a result of the award of the Thameslink contract to an overseas consortium and (b) would have been created in the UK if the contract had been awarded to Bombardier Aerospace in Derby. [63726]
Mrs Villiers: The staffing level required to fulfil the terms of the Thameslink rolling stock contract is a matter for the train manufacturer and maintainer (TMM) to decide. Siemens Plc with Cross London Trains, the nominated preferred bidder, have stated that work on the Thameslink rolling stock contract could create up to 2,000 new jobs in the UK, including jobs in train component manufacturing, depot construction and train maintenance.
Thameslink: Rolling Stock
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the procurement contract for the Thameslink rolling stock contract was first tendered. [64983]
Mrs Villiers: The Thameslink rolling stock invitation to tender was issued on 27 November 2008.
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 June 2011, Official Report, columns 85-86WS, on Thameslink Rolling Stock, when the train maintenance contract for the rolling stock will transfer from First Capital Connect to Siemens. [65024]
11 July 2011 : Column 207W
Mrs Villiers: Assuming successful completion of contractual negotiations, Siemens will be responsible for the maintenance of the new trains when they enter service, commencing in 2015.
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 June 2011, Official Report, columns 85-86WS, on Thameslink Rolling Stock, if the Siemens plc bid specified whether train maintenance for the new Thameslink rolling stock will be undertaken primarily by (a) existing staff or (b) newly recruited staff. [65026]
Mrs Villiers: The Siemens plc bid identifies the staff required for the maintenance of the new Thameslink rolling stock, and recognises that the posts may be filled by either existing First Capital Connect staff or by newly recruited staff, and that the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations may be relevant to existing First Capital Connect staff.
11 July 2011 : Column 208W
Transport: Carbon Emissions
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions were produced by (a) aviation flights and (b) rail services in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [64888]
Mrs Villiers: The carbon dioxide emissions for railways, domestic aviation and international aviation in each of the last five years for which data are available are given in the following table:
| Carbon dioxide | |||||
| Million tonnes | |||||
|
|
2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Source: National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory. | |||||