Departmental Communications
Pete Wishart:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) press officers, (b)
5 Dec 2011 : Column 60W
internal communications officers,
(c)
external communications officers,
(d)
communications strategy officers and
(e)
other positions with a communications remit were employed by (i) her Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) each non-departmental public body sponsored by her Department on the most recent date for which figures are available. [84245]
Damian Green: The following tables show the number of press officers and communications officers employed by the Department, its agencies and each non-departmental public body.
The figures show members of staff who are Government Communications Network (GCN) accredited, between the grades of assistant information officer and senior information officer (a-d).
Other positions with a communications remit (e) include staff who carry out a communications role within their job or who are not GCN accredited and are managers.
| (i) Department | |
|
|
Number |
| (1) Covering GEO and IPS.( 2) Staff roles cover both internal and external. | |
| (ii) Agencies | |
|
|
Number |
| (1) Regional.( 2) Includes staff at GCN and non GCN grades. | |
| (iii) Non -d epartmental p ublic b odies | |
|
|
Number |
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5 Dec 2011 : Column 62W
| (1) These staff also fulfil the role of press officers, alongside other external communication responsibilities.( 2 )The posts cover internal and external communication as well as a Stakeholder Engagement and Policy remit. | |
Procurement
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which services her Department has outsourced in each of the last five years. [84239]
Damian Green: The services which the Home Department, including its executive agencies, has outsourced in the past five years are as follows:
Deportation: Pakistan
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been deported to Pakistan from (a) Pendle constituency, (b) East Lancashire and (c) the UK in each of the last 10 years. [84282]
Damian Green: In answering this question, I have taken deportation to mean removal.
1. The number of individuals removed to Pakistan since 1 January 2004 who were living in the Pendle constituency is 89.
2. The number of individuals removed to Pakistan since 1 January 2004 who were resident in East Lancashire (including Pendle) is 333.
3. The number of individuals removed to Pakistan since 1 January 2004 is 20,588
Figures prior to 2004 are not centrally held.
Figures quoted for parts 1 and 2 are management information which has been subject to internal quality checks.
Figures quoted for part 3 are taken from the “Immigration Statistics: July - September 2011” release, which is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office’s Science, Research and Statistics web pages at:
http://homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/migration/migration-statistics1/
Domestic Violence
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women who were victims of domestic violence offences in 2010 had previously been a victim of domestic violence by another partner. [83696]
Lynne Featherstone: Latest available data from the 2008-09 British Crime Survey are provided in the following table showing the proportion of victims, aged 16 to 59, of partner abuse in the last 12 months who had been abused by two or more partners since the age of 16.
| Adults aged 16-59 who were victims of partner abuse in the last year by number of abusive partners since the age of 16, by sex | |||
| Percentage | |||
| Self-completion module, 2008-09 BCS, England and Wales | |||
|
|
Men | Women | All |
| Notes: 1. Partner abuse includes non-physical abuse, threats, force, sexual assault and stalking. 2. Percentages include those who could not or did not wish to answer. | |||
Entry Clearances: Overseas Students
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to minimise the reduction in education export levels arising from the proposed changes to student visas. [84317]
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Damian Green: The Government's fundamental reforms of student visas will tighten up the system, tackle abuse and ensure we continue to attract the brightest and the best students from across the world. No permanent limit has been placed on student visas.
Extradition: USA
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the contribution of the Minister for Immigration to the debate of 24 November 2011, Official Report, column 191WH, on extradition, (1) how many people were extradited from the US to the UK in (a) each year between 2004 and 2010 and (b) 2011 to date; and how many such people were US nationals; [84077]
(2) how many people were extradited from the UK to the US in (a) each year between 2004 and 2010 and (b) 2011 to date; and how many such people were UK citizens. [84078]
Damian Green [holding answer 1 December 2011]:The following table provides the figures requested.
|
|
Number of extraditions from the US to the UK under the 2003 Act | Number of extraditions from the US to the UK under the 1989 Act | Number of US nationals (1) |
| (1) Figures for 2011 are up to 29 November 2011 | |||
For the purposes of the question, we have taken the “UK” as meaning England and Wales. Scotland deals with its own US cases—as did Northern Ireland until 1 April 2008.
The figures provided on the number of US citizens surrendered to the UK in the Westminster Hall debate on 24 November 2011, Official Report, column 191WH, were incorrect. The following figures have been updated in the light of the most recent available information about the nationality of persons extradited.
Information regarding the nationality of those extradited to the UK from the United States has not in the past been routinely recorded, though records have been kept since 2007. Between 2004 and 2006 there were nine extraditions from the US to the UK, however, we have no systematic record of the nationality of the persons extradited.
The following table provides the figures requested.
|
|
Number of extraditions from the UK to the US under the 2003 Act | Number of extraditions from the UK to the US under the 1989 Act | Number of UK nationals (1) |
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| (1) Figures for 2011 are up to 29 November 2011. (2) Inc. one US/UK dual national. (3) Inc. one UK/Iran dual national. | |||
For the purposes of the question, we have taken the “UK” as meaning England and Wales. Scotland deals with its own US cases—as did Northern Ireland until 1 April 2008.
Firearms
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many criminal damage cases recorded by the Metropolitan police have involved the use of firearms yet have not been recorded as a gun crime in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011 to date. [83847]
Nick Herbert: The requested information is not available centrally.
Fireworks: Crime
Mr Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to how many incidents involving fireworks police were called in (a) St Helens South and Whiston constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) England in each of the last five years. [84658]
Nick Herbert: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Home Office. It is not possible to identify either incidents or offences relating to fireworks from the police recorded crime statistics collected and published by the Home Office.
Human Trafficking: Northern Ireland
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive and the government of Ireland on human trafficking. [84849]
Damian Green: The Minister of Justice for Northern Ireland, David Ford, is a member of the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group which I chair to oversee the work of the UK Government on human trafficking. The group last met on 11 October 2011; the Minister for Justice was unable to attend. The group will meet again in April 2012.
Identity and Passport Service: Compensation
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money the Identity and Passport Service has refunded to customers in circumstances where agreed levels of service were not met in the last 12 months. [84709]
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Damian Green: For the seven months ending 31 October 2011, the Identity and Passport Service did not meet agreed levels of services in 572 instances, resulting in refunds of £24,332 to its customers. Information for the previous five months is not readily available without incurring disproportionate cost.
Identity Cards
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the final cost in (a) compensation and (b) decommissioning costs for the identity card scheme. [84246]
Damian Green: The Identity and Passport Service Annual Report and Accounts 2010-11 reported that termination costs of the identity card scheme were £20,175. Within this total was £2,126 of contractual compensation payments to suppliers to the identity card scheme, the remaining £18,049 costs were associated with decommissioning the identity card scheme.
A breakdown of these costs is provided in the Identity and Passport Service Annual Report and Accounts 2010-11, an electronic version of which is available in the Identity and Passport Service section of the Home Office website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-public-bodies/ips/
Migration: EU Countries
Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-British EU nationals are resident in the UK; and how many UK nationals are resident in EU countries outside the UK. [85033]
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 December 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question asking how many non-British EU nationals are resident in the UK; and how many UK nationals are resident in EU countries outside the UK (85033).
The most recent estimate of the number of non-British EU nationals who reside in the UK is 2,081,000 with a corresponding margin of error of +/- 62,000. This estimate, along with other published Population by Country of Birth and Nationality estimates, is based on the Annual Population Survey and relates to the 12 month period of April 2010 to March 2011. These can be found on the ONS website, table 2.1 & 2.2 at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-235204
The margin of error refers to the 95 per cent confidence interval and is a measure of the uncertainty associated with making inferences from a sample.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) does not collect information regarding UK nationals resident outside the UK. However, Eurostat publishes figures on population by citizenship for EU countries, these are available at:
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/population/data/database
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Police: Baton Rounds
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance is issued to police forces on the deployment of baton rounds; and how any such deployment is authorised. [81056]
Nick Herbert: The police no longer use baton rounds. They were replaced in June 2005 when the attenuating energy projectile was introduced into service. The attenuating energy projectile is an impact round and performs very differently from baton rounds.
Use of the attenuating energy projectile is regulated by the Home Office ‘Code of Practice on the Police use of Firearms and Less Lethal Weapons’ (2003).
The Association of Chief Police Officers’ ‘Manual of Guidance on the Management, Command and Deployment of Armed Officers’ (2011) provides operational context to the code of practice. Guidance on the use of the attenuating energy projectile in public order situations is also provided by the Association of Chief Police Officers’ ‘Manual of Guidance on Keeping the Peace’ (2010).
Both the code of practice and the Manual of Guidance on the Management, Command and Deployment of Armed Officers make it clear that deployment and use of the attenuating energy projectile is an operational matter for the chief constable of the relevant force area to authorise.
Police: Demonstrations
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with police forces in England on the policing of (a) English Defence League and (b) British National party marches; and if she will make a statement. [69211]
Nick Herbert: The Home Office routinely discusses with the police issues which raise public, media and parliamentary interest, including marches by the English Defence League and the British National party.
Police: Finance
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the potential savings to police budgets arising from (a) centralised procurement and (b) force collaboration in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14. [78997]
Nick Herbert: The Government estimate that by end of March 2015 £200 million per annum of savings can be made from the procurement of non-IT goods and services via the Collaborative Police Procurement Programme (CPPP). To date, over £70 million has been delivered against these estimates for non-IT.
The Government have been clear that there is also potential for at least £180 million of savings per annum through ICT. At its simplest, it cannot be sensible for there to be some 2,000 IT systems across 43 forces, employing 5,000 staff.
The Government have established a programme within the Home Office to oversee the establishment of a police-led ICT company. A key objective of the ICT company will be to improve the value for money that the police service receives from its spend on ICT services.
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A report from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, due in January 2012, will provide a comprehensive picture of the types of collaboration that exist, the barriers to collaboration and equally those factors that enable progress to be made in making savings and improving efficiency. The report will, for the first time, identify the savings that can be derived from collaborating across a range of different functions.
Repatriation: Expenditure
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on assisted voluntary return in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and what the (a) mean and (b) median cost per return was in each such year. [84767]
Damian Green: The Assisted Voluntary Returns programme (AVR) is made up of three schemes:
Voluntary Assisted Return and Reintegration Programme (VARRP);
Assisted Voluntary Returns of Irregular Migrants (AVRIM); and
Assisted Voluntary Returns for Families and Children (AVRFC).
The AVR programme includes applying for travel documentation, flights, transport to the airport, assistance on departure, transits if applicable and transport from the arrival airport. It also includes reintegration support up to a maximum of £1,500 for VARRP, £2,000 for AVRFC and £1,000 for vulnerable AVRIM departures. Not all those who leave are eligible for, or indeed take advantage of, the reintegration assistance.
The UK Border Agency spent £4,325,272 on the programme in 2008-09 to return 4,558 people. A further £4,066,623 was spent from the European Refugee Fund.
In 2009-10, £11,935,519 was spent by the UK Border Agency to return 5,132 people. A further £3,974,777 was allocated by the European Refugee Fund.
In 2010-11, £5,763,551 was spent by the UK Border Agency to return 3,989 people. A further £5,090,793 was allocated by the European Refugee Fund.
European Refugee Fund data for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are yet to be audited and we are therefore unable to provide total expenditure for those years. The mean cost per return based solely on the amount spent by the UK Border Agency is:
|
|
£ |
Information on the cost of each return is not collated centrally. To calculate the median cost per return would therefore require examination of individual records which could be done only at disproportionate cost.
UK Border Agency: Manpower
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff who have left the UK Border Agency in the last two years have been offered contract work in border control during the London 2012 Olympic Games; and at what cost. [80585]
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Damian Green [holding answer 14 November 2011]:The UK Border Agency (UKBA) Olympics Programme have, to date, trained 25 former staff of which 11 left UKBA in the last two years. 16 additional former employees are currently booked in for refresher training during December and all 16 left UKBA in the last two years.
In total UKBA will be recruiting approximately 120 former staff to be deployed to the border for a maximum of 20 days during the two peak arrivals periods immediately ahead of the opening ceremonies next year. The total pay cost for that deployment next year is currently estimated to be £508,000.
Treasury
Child Care Vouchers
Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what steps his Department is taking to encourage the uptake of child care vouchers by (a) employers and (b) employees; [84972]
(2) what information his Department holds on the number of parents who use child care vouchers. [84973]
Mr Gauke: Child care vouchers are an employer provided benefit. The Government support this benefit by providing a limited tax exemption for both employers and employees.
Since child care vouchers are not always the best option for individuals it is not appropriate for the Government to encourage their uptake. We aim to enable both employers and employees to make an informed decision by making available guidance and information principally via the HMRC website.
In addition HMRC maintains regular dialogue with the child care voucher business sector.
Figures provided to HMRC by the major voucher providers suggest that the total number of voucher recipients in the quarter ending in September 2011 was approximately 500,000.
Procurement
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which services his Department has outsourced in each of the last five years. [84241]
Miss Chloe Smith: HM Treasury outsourced its Information and Communications Technology (ICT) service to Fujitsu Services Ltd in June 2009.
Enterprise Zones: Wales
Alun Cairns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions his Department has had with the Welsh Government on capital allowances in relation to the implementation of enterprise zones in Wales; and what the (a) dates and (b) details were of each such discussion. [84703]
Mr Gauke:
Treasury Officials have had a number of telephone and email discussions with the Welsh Government on enhanced capital allowances in enterprise zones and met on 19 October 2011. The discussions were about
5 Dec 2011 : Column 69W
the design of the allowance and the process for the Welsh Government and the Treasury agreeing the location of qualifying zones.
Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation
Mr Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department has taken to ensure payments are made to Equitable Life policyholders who are eligible for compensation under the Government's compensation scheme before Christmas. [85020]
Mr Hoban: The scheme started making payments on 30 June this year, and hundreds of payments have been made to date. The scheme will be publishing a report on the volume and value of payments made to date in the new year.
Excise Duties: Fuels
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions he has met with the Federation of Small Businesses to discuss the introduction of a fiscally-neutral fuel duty stabiliser. [84015]
Miss Chloe Smith: Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the usual policy making process. HM Treasury publishes a list of Ministers' meetings involving external organisations online at:
www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm
Julian Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what consideration he has given to extending the fuel duty discount pilot scheme; [84540]
(2) if he will estimate the cost of extending the fuel duty discount pilot scheme to rural North Yorkshire. [84541]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Government recently secured EU clearance for the introduction of a 5p per litre rural fuel rebate pilot scheme in the Inner and Outer Hebrides, Northern Isles, islands in the Clyde and the Isles of Scilly. The scheme will come into force on 1 March 2012. Beyond this pilot scheme, nothing has been ruled in or out.
Financial Services Compensation Scheme
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information his Department holds on the level of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme levy on the general insurance intermediary class in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11. [84283]
Mr Hoban: Information on the levies collected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme is made publically available in their annual reports. The reports show the following figures for total levies received from the general insurance intermediation class:
|
|
Total levies received (£ million) |
5 Dec 2011 : Column 70W
National Insurance Contributions
Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to extending the national insurance contributions holiday to micro-businesses which employ a young person. [R] [84103]
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to the proposal by the Federation of Small Businesses to reduce national insurance contributions for micro-businesses that employ a young person aged between 16 and 24 years. [84117]
Mr Gauke: On 25 November, the Government announced an ambitious programme for tackling youth unemployment. Starting in 2012, the Youth Contract will deliver:
an additional 250,000 work experience or sector based work academy places for every unemployed 18 to 24-year-old;
more Jobcentre Plus support for 18 to 24-year-olds, including, extra advisor time and a careers interview from the National Careers Service and weekly, rather than fortnightly, signing;
a total of 160,000 wage incentive places (at £2,275 each) to make it easier for employers to take on young people;
additional funding to support the growth of 16-24 apprenticeships, ensuring the funding for at least 40,000 incentive payments (at £1,500 each) for employers next year to raise demand for 16-24 apprenticeships; and
a new £50 million a year programme for those 16 and 17-year-olds not in employment, education or training to get them learning, on an apprenticeship or in a job with training.
Non-domestic Rates: Business
John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on plans to mitigate the effect on small retail businesses of the increase in business rates planned for April 2012. [82770]
Mr Gauke: The Government's commitment to the annual RPI cap on business rates means that there has been no real terms increase in business rates since 1990.
The Government announced in the autumn statement two measures to support businesses, including small retail businesses.
The Government will extend the small business rate relief holiday for a further six months from 1 October 2012 and will give all businesses the opportunity to defer 60 per cent of the increase in their 2012-13 business rate bills as a result of the RPI uprating, to be repaid equally across the following two years.
Postcodes
Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department uses postcodes for purposes other than the postage of mail. [84182]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Treasury does not use postcodes for purposes other than correspondence.
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Public Expenditure
Gavin Barwell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate total public spending (a) in 2009-10 in current prices and (b) if it increased by the rate of inflation from 1997-98 onwards. [83279]
Danny Alexander: Total public spending in 2009-10 in current prices was £689.3 billion.
In real terms total public spending increased in every year until 2010-11; it then decreases until 2016-17.
Revenue and Customs: Manpower
Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which HM Revenue and Customs departments redeployed staff for new anti-evasion and avoidance jobs will work in; and when they will begin work in their new roles. [83481]
Mr Gauke: Redeployment has already started and will continue throughout the whole of the spending review period.
Individuals from all businesses will be considered for redeployment into new anti-evasion and avoidance posts as their current roles within their present business areas come to an end.
HMRC is continuing to consider the bulk redeployment of whole teams into compliance-related operations and will take the opportunity to do so as these arise.
Taxation: Business
Mike Crockart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what criteria HM Revenue and Customs uses to decide when to (a) change the terms of payment plans for companies in arrears and (b) seek a legal remedy in such cases. [84599]
Mr Gauke: An agreement allowing a company time to pay is monitored by HMRC to ensure the agreed terms are maintained.
Should the terms of the time to pay agreement be breached by the company HMRC will review the position using the same criteria that were applied when the initial request for time to pay was made. The same will apply should the company notify HMRC that its circumstances have changed during the term of the agreement.
Where the company cannot show that it is a viable concern or cannot offer payment over a reasonable period HMRC will seek a legal remedy.
Taxation: Carbon Emissions
Tim Farron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider using revenue from the carbon tax to fund measures to promote energy efficiency. [84956]
Miss Chloe Smith: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond Park (Zac Goldsmith), on 26 October 2011, Official Report, column 237W.
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Taxation: Olympic Games 2012
Ms Abbott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what taxation arrangements will apply to visiting athletes and staff for the London 2012 Olympics; what estimate he has made of the effect on the level of revenue accruing to the Exchequer of these arrangements; and if he will make a statement. [84548]
Mr Gauke: The International Olympic Committee required all bids for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to include certain tax commitments.
London's bid to host the Games therefore offered, and we have legislated for, a number of tax exemptions for certain non-residents who are competing in the Games or are involved in making them a success.
The Exchequer cost of the exemption will be zero. Where tax exemptions are an explicit condition of hosting a sporting event, providing them is not considered a scoreable cost because there can be no forecast revenues before a bid is successful and the exemptions are a key factor in securing the bid.
VAT: Aviation
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on the application of VAT to (a) intra-community and (b) international flights. [84009]
Mr Gauke: No VAT is chargeable on intra-EU or international air passenger transport.
Air freight services supplied to business customers are only subject to UK VAT where the customer is based in the UK. Similar services supplied to non-business customers are subject to UK VAT where the flight begins in the UK and is wholly within the EU. However, no VAT is due where goods are either exported to—or imported from—outside the EU.
Welfare Tax Credits
Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average amount is of tax credits paid to households with capital of (a) £15,900 and (b) between £15,000 and £15,999. [83078]
Mr Gauke [holding answer 25 November 2011]: The requested information is not available. The tax credits administrative system does not collect information on the capital of claimants.
Cabinet Office
Average Earnings
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average hourly rate of pay was for (a) each decile of the working population and (b) the top 1% of earners in current prices in (i) 1981 and (ii) 2011. [84462]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
5 Dec 2011 : Column 73W
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated December 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the average hourly rate of pay was for (a) each decile of the working population and (b) the top one per cent of earners in current prices in (i) 1981 and (ii) 2011. (84462)
Average levels of earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for all employees on adult rates of pay whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. The ASHE, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom.
The ASHE replaced the New Earnings Survey (NES) in 2004. NES covered Great Britain (GB) only and the comparative estimates available from NES are the quartiles, median and the top and bottom deciles. NES did not publish estimates for all employees and estimates for full-time employees are only published from 1984. For consistency across ASHE and NES, estimates are provided for the quartiles, median and the top and bottom deciles for full-time GB employees.
The following tables show the quartiles, deciles and the top and bottom deciles for hourly pay excluding overtime for full-time GB employees in April 1984 and April 2011 and also these estimates expressed in 2011 prices using RPI as a price deflator.
| Hourly pay excluding overtime for full-time GB employee jobs (1) , April 1984 and April 2011 | |||||
| £ | |||||
| Quartiles, median, top and bottom deciles | |||||
|
|
10 | 25 | 50 | 75 | 90 |
| (1) GB full-time employee jobs on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. Source: 1984 estimates are sourced from the New Earnings Survey (NES) and 2011 estimates are sourced from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics. | |||||
| Hourly pay excluding overtime at April 2011 prices (1) , 1984 | |||||
| £ | |||||
| Quartiles, median, top and bottom deciles | |||||
|
|
10 | 25 | 50 | 75 | 90 |
| (1) Estimates of earnings at 2011 prices have been derived using the retail prices index as the price deflator. Source: 1984 estimates are sourced from the New Earnings Survey (NES) and 2011 estimates are sourced from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics. | |||||
British Overseas Territories: Cabinet Committees
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether any Cabinet sub-committee has discussed the inclusion in the Overseas Territories White Paper of a target to halt overall loss of biodiversity by 2010 in all British Overseas Territories. [84032]
Mr Letwin: In line with the constitutional convention of collective decision-making, and section 2 of the Ministerial Code, the Government do not disclose details of the internal process through which decisions are taken. The contents of the Overseas Territories White Paper are a matter for Ministers at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
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Communities First Fund
Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what targets his Department has set for the Community First scheme; and how his Department plans to monitor performance against such targets. [85280]
Mr Hurd: Community First is a small grants programme for England with a budget of up to £30 million over four years for funding to neighbourhood groups in targeted wards, and up to £50 million for an endowment match challenge. The Community First programme has been developed to encourage people to come together to make their neighbourhood a better place to live. The design of the programme is to ensure improvements are community-led and that people take responsibility for those things that they can do themselves.
The endowment match challenge is being delivered in partnership with the Community Foundation Network. The small grants money is administered by the Community Development Foundation (CDF). The Cabinet Office monitors the performance of our delivery partners.
The programme aims to stimulate more social action. CDF will monitor this through the funding applications they receive from the panels and through monitoring the websites each panel creates to aid local visibility and transparency.
Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made in establishing the Community First scheme. [85284]
Mr Hurd: Community First is a small grants programme for England with a budget of up to £30 million over four years for funding to neighbourhood groups in targeted wards, and up to £50 million for an endowment match challenge.
The small grants money is administered by the Community Development Foundation. They began the process of developing local neighbourhood Community First panels on 4 October 2011.
The endowment match challenge is being delivered in partnership with the Community Foundation Network and its members.
Cybercrime
Angus Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many meetings he has had with Ministers from the devolved administrations in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland regarding the implementation of the UK Cyber Security Strategy; and what matters have been discussed at such meetings. [84368]
Mr Maude: I have not met Ministers from the devolved Administrations to discuss implementation of the Cyber Security Strategy. However, officials from Cabinet Office met with their counterparts from the Scottish Government.
Relevant officials from the devolved Administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland were consulted during the formulation of the strategy, invited to comment on early drafts and their input was incorporated into the final strategy.
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Cybercrime: Scotland
Angus Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK Cyber Security Strategy involves Scottish small and medium-sized enterprises. [84367]
Mr Maude: The Government recently launched the Cyber Security Strategy and have committed to helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the UK as they are crucial to the UK's economic growth.
We will ensure SMEs across the UK can play their part as drivers of new ideas and innovation by bringing forward proposals to help them fully access the value of public procurement as part of the Growth Review. This will include setting an expectation that at least 25% of the value of Government cyber security contracts go to SMEs.
We are also exploring options such as a Government-sponsored venture capital model to unlock innovation on cyber security in SMEs under plans to explore ways in which the world-class expertise in cyber security held by GCHQ can benefit economic growth and support the development of the UK cyber security sector.
UK Trade and Investment will also work to promote the UK's cyber security industry abroad in order to open up foreign markets to SMEs.
Departmental Communications
Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) press officers, (b) internal communications officers, (c) external communications officers, (d) communications strategy officers and (e) other positions with a communications remit were employed by (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department on the most recent date for which figures are available. [84223]
Mr Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 16 May 2011, Official Report, columns 89-90W.
Official Hospitality
Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what receptions and events have been hosted by his Department since May 2010, including those sponsored by third parties. [84222]
Mr Hurd: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Procurement
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which services his Department has outsourced in each of the last five years. [84232]
Mr Hurd: The services that have been outsourced to external contractors by the Cabinet Office in the last five years are shown in the table:
5 Dec 2011 : Column 76W
|
|
Service |
Public Relations
Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the monetary value was of (a) public opinion research and (b) public relations contracts awarded by his Department in (i) London and (ii) elsewhere in each of the last five years. [12456]
Mr Maude: The information requested is not held centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost. Through the implementation of strong controls on marketing and advertising, the Government have reduced expenditure through the Central Office of Information on relevant categories by 80%, or £400 million, in 2010-11.
Details of departmental expenditure over £25,000 by my Department are available at:
http://data.gov.uk/dataset/financial-transactions-data-co
Recruitment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish the list of executive search companies on (a) Lot 1 of the Cabinet Office call off contract and (b) all other lots of the Cabinet Office call off contract; and if he will make a statement. [84752]
Mr Maude: The suppliers listed under Lot 1 (All Specialist Areas, all Sectors and all Functions) of the Cabinet Office Executive Search Framework are listed as follows:
Appointments Commission
Equal Approach (formally CHH Recruitment Limited)
Egon Zehnder
Gatenby Sanderson
Hays
Hudson
Korn-Ferry Whitehead Mann
Maloney Search
Odgers Berndston
Penna
Rockpools
Russell Reynolds
Saxton Bampfylde
Veredus
Suppliers under all other lots of the Cabinet Office Executive Search Framework are shown in the following table:
|
|
Supplier |
5 Dec 2011 : Column 77W
|
Lot 6 (Social and Operational research, Economics, Statistics and Science and Engineering) |
|
|
Lot 8 (all Other Functions/Sectors not covered under Lot 2 to Lot 10 inclusive) |
|
Federation of Student Islamic Societies
Mr Lammy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 272W, on the Federation of Student Islamic Societies, if he will place in the Library a copy of each item of correspondence between the Home Office and civil service fast stream officials regarding the status of the October Federation of Student Islamic Societies event. [82420]
Mr Maude: It is not departmental policy to release e-mails into the public domain. On that basis correspondence cannot be provided.
G4S
Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many contracts his Department has awarded to G4S since May 2010; and what the (a) purpose, (b) monetary value and (c) net worth was of each such contract. [83921]
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Mr Maude: Since May 2010, the Cabinet Office has made one payment of £337.11 (VAT inclusive) to G4S Secure Solutions (UK) Ltd. This was for additional security guards for a press event held at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 10 June 2010.
Government Departments: Printing
Christopher Pincher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress his Department is making on encouraging greater use of shared print services across government. [84774]
Mr Maude: A phased implementation programme is fully under way to ‘onboard’ central Government Departments to the Print Vendor Partner contract. One Department has already joined with the remainder scheduled to join over the coming months and in line with the expiry of existing contractual arrangements.
Christopher Pincher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the potential savings to Government Departments through use of shared print services. [84776]
Mr Maude: The Print Vendor Partner contract is estimated to save £21 million over its four-year duration.
Government Departments: Procurement
Roger Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of Government contracts were aggregated into larger contracts as part of the procurement process in the latest period for which figures are available. [84056]
Mr Maude [holding answer 1 December 2011]:This information is not held centrally as centralised contracts aggregate spend rather than other contracts. The data we hold show that in 2010-11, £2.5 billion of central Government expenditure was aggregated using Government Procurement Service contracts.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made towards meeting the Government's target that 25% of central Government supplies are procured from small and medium-sized enterprises. [84878]
Mr Maude: The Government have made progress in encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to compete for Government contracts. We have published a progress report on “Making Government business more accessible to SMEs”. This can be found at:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/government-business-smes
Departments' total procurement spend and direct spend with SMEs are published in their Quarterly Data Summary on departmental websites and the No. 10 website. The most recent figures are for October 2011. They can be found at:
www.number10.gov.uk/news/business-plan-data-oct11/
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Infrastructure: Scotland
Angus Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what critical national infrastructure is (a) based in Scotland and (b) under the legislative competence of the Scottish Government. [84369]
Mr Maude: For reasons of national security we do not publish details of what is assessed to be critical national infrastructure (CNI) or provide information about location.
Responsibility for critical national infrastructure sites within Scotland varies depending on whether sectors or sub-sectors are devolved or reserved. Devolved sectors are the responsibility of the Scottish Government; and reserved sectors the responsibility of sector sponsor Departments.
The Home Office also bears risk at Government level arising from its responsibility for UK national security and counter-terrorism policy including CNI protection (from national security threats).
Members: Correspondence
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) when he expects to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Hammersmith of 17 October 2011 on ministerial conflicts of interest; [81383]
(2) when he plans to reply to question 81383 on ministerial conflicts of interest, tabled on 11 November 2011 for answer on 15 November 2011. [84164]
Mr Maude [holding answer 1 December 2011]:The Cabinet Secretary replied to the hon. Member on 30 November 2011.
Postcodes
Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department uses postcodes for purposes other than the postage of mail. [84221]
Mr Maude: With the exception of the Government Digital Service whose website uses a postcode look-up to direct users to services provided on local authority websites, the Cabinet Office does not use postcodes for purposes other than the postage of mail or to confirm addresses.
Public Sector: Pay
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 15 November 2011, Official Report, column 706-7W, on public sector: pay, if he will provide numerical estimates for employees in each category. [84084]
Mr Hurd [holding answer 1 December 2011]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated December 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question which was pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2011, Official Report, column 706-7W, on public sector pay, asking that numerical estimates for employees in each category be provided. (84084)
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The original question asked how many public sector workers who worked (a) part-time and (b) full-time received a salary of less than £15,000 per annum in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many part-time public sector workers earned less than £15,000 per annum and received a full-time equivalent salary of greater than £15,000.(79794)
Annual levels of earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for all employees on adult rates of pay, who have been in the same job for more than a year. ASHE methodology cannot be used to provide estimates of the numbers of employees whose earnings is less than a specific amount, but can be used to provide estimates of percentage of employees in that category. These proportions can be applied to employment estimates from the Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey and the Labour Force Survey.
In April 2010 the estimate for the number of public sector jobs taken from the Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey is 6.3 million and the estimate for the proportion of part-time employees taken from the Labour Force Survey is 30 per cent. Based on these estimates there were 4.4 million full-time public sector workers and 1.9 million part-time public sector workers in April 2010.
From these sources it is estimated that 1.3 million part-time and 0.3 million full-time public sector employees earned less than £15,000 per annum in April 2010. Of the part-time public sector employees who earned less than £15,000 per annum, ONS estimates that 0.8 million received a full-time equivalent salary greater than £15,000. Full-time equivalent salaries were derived from annual pay by pro-rating the part-time employees' paid hours worked to the median estimate of paid hours worked by full-time employees in the public sector.
Public Sector: Pensions
Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he last met representatives of the TUC to discuss the public sector pension dispute. [84840]
Mr Maude: Details of Cabinet Office Ministers' meetings with external organisations are published at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-external-organisations
Public Sector: Redditch
Karen Lumley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people employed in the public sector in Redditch in each of the next three years. [84822]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated December 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the number of people employed in the public sector in Redditch in each of the next three years (84822).
ONS does not produce forecasts for public sector employment, therefore figures are not available. For the 12 month period ending March 2011 it was estimated that 13,000 people were employed in the public sector in Redditch.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
5 Dec 2011 : Column 81W
Social Justice Committee
Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many meetings of the Social Justice Committee (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have attended since its establishment. [85282]
Mr Maude: Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including when and how often they meet and which Ministers have attended, is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.
Stationery Office: Security
Mr Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with The Stationery Office on secure storage of Government documents prior to publication. [84058]
Mr Maude [holding answer 1 December 2011]:The Stationery Office is subject to the same security and confidentiality considerations as any other third party supplier to Government. This includes complying with best practice standards for Information Assurance such as the British Standard BS27000 series. Where sensitive Government information is concerned then more robust requirements may apply, as set out in the HMG Security Policy Framework, available from the Cabinet Office website at:
http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/resource-library/security-policy-framework
I have not held any meetings with The Stationery Office to discuss storage issues. The National Archives (TNA) manages the contract with The Stationery Office for the publication of legislation and statutory instruments, this includes appropriate security requirements.
Voluntary Work
Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made in establishing the Community Organisers programme. [85285]
Mr Hurd: The Community Organisers programme is currently working in over 20 areas across England in mostly disadvantaged communities, with further areas being added over the lifetime of the programme. 47 organisers have begun their 12 month training programme and are now working in their communities, with a further 41 to begin their training later this week.
Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what targets his Department has set for the Community Organisers programme; and how his Department plans to monitor performance against such targets. [85286]
Mr Hurd: The coalition Government announced their commitment to train 5,000 community organisers over the lifetime of this Parliament. The Community Organisers programme is about stimulating and supporting greater social action, especially in areas of high deprivation.
The Government have appointed Locality to deliver the Community Organisers programme at arm’s length from Government. Over the four-year period, Locality
5 Dec 2011 : Column 82W
expects to recruit between 100-200 local organisations across England to host community organisers. Recruitment of community organisers is undertaken locally by host organisations.
The Cabinet Office monitors the quality and number of host organisations and community organisers through monthly programme board meetings and reporting cycles.
Voluntary Work: Young People
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with organisations representing deaf young people on improving access to National Citizen Service programmes for (a) deaf young people and (b) other young people with a disability. [84924]
Mr Hurd: It is important that young people with disabilities, including young deaf people, are able to play a full part in the National Citizen Service. The Cabinet Office sought advice from disability organisations to produce a plan to enable young people with disabilities to take part, which providers were assessed on. We will learn from the evaluation of the 2011 pilots, due to be published in February 2012, to further ensure that there are no barriers to participating in the National Citizen Service. Department for Education staff plan to meet with The National Deaf Children's Society in the new year to discuss how to improve access to the National Citizen Service.
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department has taken to ensure deaf young people have access to National Citizen Service programmes. [84925]
Mr Hurd: During the bidding process for the 2012 pilots, providers were closely assessed on how they would adapt their programmes to support participants with additional needs. They have planned a range of measures for the recruitment and activity phases.
Providers of the 2011 pilots made a range of adaptations to allow deaf young people to participate. These included in-kind support from the National Deaf Children’s Society including a volunteer interpreter; use of hearing loops where available; awareness training for staff working with the young person; use of text messaging; and allowing peer supporters to attend with the young person. Providers will be supported to build on this for delivery in 2012.
The independent evaluation of the National Citizen Service will provide further detail on providers' effectiveness at addressing any barriers to participation, and the Department will ensure that any lessons from this are learnt and implemented. The evaluation is due for publication in February 2012.
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaf young people have participated in National Citizen Service programmes to date. [84926]
Mr Hurd: An independent evaluation of the National Citizen Service pilot programme is currently collecting and analysing data on the characteristics of the young people who took part across the 12 pilot schemes in 2011. That work will conclude shortly and I will then be able to provide the House with a full update.
5 Dec 2011 : Column 83W
Deparmental Written Questions
Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he plans to answer question 12456 from the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire on Public Opinion Research, tabled on 6 September 2010. [83836]
Mr Maude: I replied to the hon. Member today.
Transport
Special Advisers
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether draft answers to parliamentary questions prepared by officials in her Department are cleared by special advisers (a) before and (b) after the relevant Minister. [79558]
Norman Baker: Special advisers may on occasion contribute to the answers to parliamentary questions at appropriate points in the drafting process. Ministers clear questions for publication. Special advisers do not.
Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her policy is on the future of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee; and if she will make a statement. [84742]
Norman Baker: The Government are minded to abolish the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) as a statutory body but will explore options for continuing to gain the disability advice they need through a more flexible, accountable structure. I made a written ministerial statement on 7 June 2011, Official Report, columns 21-2WS, seeking views and evidence with regard to potential successor arrangements. I also held a workshop with stakeholders on 11 July.
These views have informed the possible successor arrangements and I intend to consult formally on these early in the new year.
I will consider the responses to this consultation, including whether those responses affect the decision to abolish DPTAC.
Driving Instruction
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with (a) the police and (b) other public bodies on the potential benefits of providing preparatory training to young people before they learn to drive; and if she will make a statement. [84303]
Mike Penning [holding answer 1 December 2011]: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), has not had any discussions on this issue. I have discussed the benefits of improving the learning to drive process with a number of stakeholders.
5 Dec 2011 : Column 84W
While understanding road safety issues from a young age is important, research suggests that giving pre-learners driving skills before they are 17 years old may not have a road safety benefit.
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) financial and (b) other support her Department provides for Pathfinder driving schools; and if she will make a statement. [84304]
Mike Penning [holding answer 1 December 2011]: The Driving Standards Agency does not provide financial or other forms of support to Pathfinder driving schools.
East Anglia Railway Line: Rolling Stock
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains are in service on the National Express East Anglia Great Eastern Line. [83711]
Mrs Villiers: The fleet deployment plan provided by National Express East Anglia for the timetable running from May to December 2011 shows an allocation of 11 locomotive-hauled sets, and 147 electric multiple units to Great Eastern services each day (Monday to Friday).
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of how many trains will be in service on the Great Eastern Line under the new franchise holders. [83712]
Mrs Villiers: The successful bid for the Greater Anglia franchise by Abellio Greater Anglia Ltd includes a fleet deployment plan that allocates 11 locomotive-hauled sets and 147 electric multiple units to Great Eastern services each day (Monday to Friday).
East Coast Railway Line
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the adequacy of east coast main line services north of York. [85346]
Mrs Villiers: East coast main line services north of York were assessed and revised as part of the development of the new east coast main line timetable that was introduced on 22 May 2011. The adequacy of all train services is under constant review by the train operators.
Felixstowe-Nuneaton Railway Line: Freight
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what financial support her Department provided to the Felixstowe to Nuneaton Phase 2 rail freight upgrade in the last financial year; and if she will make a statement. [84311]
Mrs Villiers: None. However Network Rail has funding for the development of schemes in Control Period 5 (2014 to 2019) and has identified a number of freight schemes in the Initial Industry Plan. These could be developed under the Strategic Freight Network subject to available funding.
5 Dec 2011 : Column 85W
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will conduct a strategic appraisal of phase II of the planned Y network before a final decision on phase I is undertaken; and if she will postpone taking a decision on whether to proceed with phase I until an appraisal of phase II has been consulted upon. [84114]
Justine Greening: The documents published to inform the recent consultation on HS2 provided a strategic assessment of the planned Y network. This included an assessment of the overall case for the proposed network in the main consultation document:
http://highspeedrail.dft.gov.uk/library/documents/consultation-document
an assessment of the economic costs and benefits in the Economic Case for HS2:
http://highspeedrail.dft.gov.uk/library/documents/economic-case
and an assessment by Atkins of the case for enhancements to existing lines as an alternative to HS2:
http://highspeedrail.dft.gov.uk/library/documents/strategic-alternatives
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when her Department expects to complete work on (a) train diagrams, (b) projected operating costs and (c) rolling stock purchases for services on the Y network. [84115]
Justine Greening: The long-term specification and operation of services on High Speed 2 (HS2), including train diagrams which would inform rolling stock strategies and operating costs, would be a decision for the eventual operator of HS2. It would not be appropriate to decide service specifications so far ahead of the operation of the potential HS2 service due to the uncertainty around how the rail market might develop in the interim. It has been necessary to make informed assumptions about service specifications and about associated rolling stock requirement costs in order to assess the case for new high speed lines, which are set out in chapter two of the Economic Case for HS2, but these are one possible option only and so should be taken as illustrative only. Subject to the outcome of the public consultation, these proposals would be developed as part of the ongoing development of the business case for HS2.
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when her Department expects to produce a comprehensive statement of the likely patterns of services on the classic network after High Speed 2 is operational. [84116]
Justine Greening: It would not be appropriate to take decisions on service specifications more than a decade in advance of even the first phase of HS2 opening.
In order to inform the development of the case for the initial phase of the proposed network, HS2 Ltd developed an illustrative classic network service specification, which was published in the Technical Appendices to its original March 2010 report, available at:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/highspeedrail/hs2ltd/technicalappendix/
5 Dec 2011 : Column 86W
As part of its current work on route options for the second phase of the proposed network, HS2 Ltd will consider potential classic network service specifications taking into account released capacity from the full Y network on the west coast, east coast and midland main lines.
High Speed 2 Railway Line: Scotland
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the potential benefits to the Scottish economy of the proposed High Speed 2 network. [84647]
Justine Greening: Table 6.5 of HS2 Ltd's Demand and Appraisal Report
http://www.hs2.org.uk/assets/x/78304
provides an assessment of the split of benefits between regions according to where trips originate, which shows approximately 5% of overall benefits from the proposed Y network relating to trips beginning in Scotland.
The Government indicated in the 2010 National Infrastructure Plan their intention over the longer term to continue development of the high-speed rail network and rail connections between the north and south of the country to further reduce journey times to Glasgow and Edinburgh, which would be expected to see the benefits accruing to Scotland increase further.
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to her Department will be of reorganising the Maritime Coastguard Agency in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and what steps she is taking to ensure the level of safety is not affected by the closure of coastguard stations. [84154]
Mike Penning [holding answer 1 December 2011]: The cost of reorganising the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in 2011-12 will comprise, largely, the opportunity cost of staff time, including any associated items such as travel and expenses, and the direct costs incurred in running the public meetings held in conjunction with the first public consultation. A more detailed breakdown could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Following the decision announced on 22 November, reorganisation costs for 2012-13 will be dependent on the outcome of, among other things, negotiations with the trade union, and the terms of any contractual or other agreements entered into during the period. There will also be the opportunity costs associated with staff time and associated travel and expenses.
Throughout this reorganisation the Maritime and Coastguard Agency will continually assess risk; the timetable for Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) closures will remain flexible for operational reasons.
HM Coastguard will maintain appropriate levels of service during this period by utilising both existing area pairing arrangements and the incremental closure of MRCCs once the Maritime Operations Centre (MOC) is commissioned, tested and fully operational.
The decision to locate the MOC at Kites Croft, Fareham (a site designed and built originally to be the South East Fire Control Centre) removes the requirement
5 Dec 2011 : Column 87W
to either construct or refurbish an existing building. This enables the MOC to be fully operational at the earliest opportunity, reducing both the complexity and risk involved with setting up the MOC as well as the risk of MRCCs absorbing the workload from the closing stations.
Maritime and Coastguard Agency: Empty Property
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has for the future of the empty premises (a) owned and (b) leased by the Maritime Coastguard Agency following the closure of coastguard stations in (i) Liverpool and (ii) the UK. [84954]
Mike Penning: The maritime rescue co-ordination centres (MRCCs) at Great Yarmouth and Clyde are leased properties and will be vacated at the end of their tenure as agreed with the respective landlords. The MRCCs at Forth, Brixham and Portland are Crown properties and will be sold following vacation.
The MRCC at Lee-on-Solent is provided under an agreement with the Homes and Communities Agency (formerly South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)) and will be vacated following the opening of the maritime operations centre at Kites Croft, Fareham.
Under the Coastguard Modernisation programme, the coastguard co-ordination function currently located in the MRCCs at Liverpool, Thames and Swansea will cease; these buildings will remain on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s (MCA) estate to support other operational coastguard and marine office survey activity in these areas.
Capacity released at these sites will be utilised to develop and house the coastguard coastal operations hubs outlined in the “Blueprint for Future Coastguard Organisation in the UK” to provide additional management support to the volunteer coastguard rescue service.
Motorways: Garages and Petrol Stations
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the cost of fuel on motorways; and if she will ensure that drivers on motorways are made aware of the comparative cost of fuel at motorway filling stations. [84570]
Mike Penning: All motorway service areas are operated on a commercial basis by private companies and the Department for Transport has no powers to control prices charged at the sites.
There is a requirement to display prices in the service areas. Current signing regulations permit the display of fuel prices on the advanced directional signing for motorway service areas, but it is not a requirement to display prices in advance of the service area.
Railways: Accidents
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recommendations were made following the incident at Tebay on 15 February 2004 involving a runaway trolley; and what progress has been made implementing such recommendations. [82346]
5 Dec 2011 : Column 88W
Mrs Villiers: The RSSB (formally the Rail Safety and Standards Board) held an independent inquiry into the Tebay accident of 15 February 2004.
The report of this inquiry, “Track Worker Fatalities at Tebay on 15 February 2004”, was published in October 2004. It contained 12 recommendations, 10 of which were directed to Network Rail with the remaining two directed to the RSSB. A summary of this report is available at:
http://www.rssb.co.uk/LEARNING/Documents/FI2884.pdf
The 10 recommendations directed to Network Rail were closed out in accordance with industry standards between 2005 and 2008. The RSSB has confirmed that all 12 recommendations have now been closed out.
Railways: Franchises
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what external consultants have advised the Government on rail franchising policy in the last 18 months; what the cost of such advice was in each instance; what regular checks were made for potential conflicts of interests; and whether any conflicts of interests were declared. [R] [83168]
Mrs Villiers: Advice is being provided by Grant Thornton on stress testing franchise bids, which has an estimated value of £33,000. Advice on a new approach to station leasing is being provided by Faithful and Gould which has an estimated value of £30,000. £129,772 has been spent to date with external lawyers developing contracts for Greater Anglia and Intercity West Coast, and this work is ongoing. Consultants are required to declare potential conflicts of interest during procurement, or that arise afterwards. The Department does not contract if a material conflict of interest exists, and consultants are required to declare any change in circumstances.
Rescue Services: Portland
Richard Drax: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will publish the analyses upon which her decision to close the search and rescue helicopter base at Portland was based. [84628]
Mike Penning: It is the intention of the Department to publish the basing analysis and assurance review which was used to determine the future basing strategy for search and rescue helicopters. I intend to make this available via the Department for Transport website and it will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Severn River Crossing: Tolls
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate she has made of the likely completion date of the Severn Crossings toll concession. [84710]
Mike Penning: The concession on the Severn Crossing will end when either the concessionaire has recovered their costs, or when 30 years have elapsed since the concession began (2022). The concessionaire is currently expected to recover their costs in 2017; but we are negotiating how certain operating costs and historic changes to the tax regime should be handled under the concession agreement.
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Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions (a) she, (b) her immediate predecessor and (c) other Ministers in her Department have had with Severn River Crossings plc and others on the future of the Severn Crossing following the end of the current concession. [84711]
Mike Penning: I have stated that no decisions have been taken on the future of the crossing; and Ministers have had no discussions on arrangements after the end of the concession period.
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she intends to publish plans for the future of the Severn river crossing following the end of the concession period. [84970]
Mike Penning: As I stated to the Welsh Affairs Committee in May, we have made no decisions about the future of the Severn crossings. We have no plans to make any decisions on the crossings while the Welsh Government continue their study of the economic effects of tolling.
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions (a) she and (b) her departmental officials have had with Severn River Crossing plc and others on the future of the Severn crossing following the end of the concession agreement. [84971]
Mike Penning: Severn River Crossings plc (SRC) is a special purpose vehicle, which will cease to exist when the concession ends. We have had no substantive discussions with SRC about arrangements beyond the end of the concession period.
My officials are in regular dialogue with the Welsh Government about the Severn crossings, who have made representations about possible options after the concession. No decisions have been taken on the future of the crossings.
Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 1 November 2011, Official Report, column 610W, on Thameslink railway line: rolling stock, what management actions Interfleet took and detailed to her Department on each occasion to avoid a conflict of interest. [R] [81313]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 22 November 2011]: Interfleet have robust processes which they employ to manage potential conflicts of interest effectively. The specific arrangements are set out as follows:
(a) September 2008, Gauging clearance study work for Siemens: This work involved Interfleet checking that Siemens' “City Train” concept vehicle profile would pass along the UK rail network including the Thameslink routes. Interfleet confirmed to the Department that they did not have any staff providing Thameslink bid development support to Siemens or any other bidder in the competition. Consequently, the Department accepted that no conflict of interest would arise.
(b) January 2009, competition to appoint a Notified Body approvals contract with all the Thameslink bidders (Alstom, Bombardier, Hitachi and Siemens): Interfleet Certification Ltd (ICL) is an independent company with procedures and processes which have been set up in accordance with strict regulatory requirements to ensure their independence and impartiality and
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are subject to regular audit by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) on behalf of the Department. The Department required ICL to ensure that they do not involve any staff who have previously worked on, or planned to work on the Thameslink project for the Department. This confirmation was provided and the Department was, therefore, content that no conflict of interest would occur.
(c) July 2011, Gauge clearance work for Thameslink preferred bidder (Siemens): Interfleet confirmed that a team completely independent of the Department's Thameslink technical advisor team would support Siemens on this workstream and that they would have no access to or input from the technical advisor or any data obtained as a result of Interfleet's support to the Department. The Department was, therefore, content that no conflict of interest would occur.