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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 23 February 2012
Work and Pensions
Departmental Data Protection
Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of (a) data loss and (b) breaches of confidentiality occurred in his Department in 2011. [95723]
Chris Grayling: The Department notifies the Information Commissioner of more serious incidents involving data security, and publishes details of such cases in the annual Resource Accounts. No incidents were notified in the period from 1 January 2011 to 31 March 2011.
Details of any cases that have arisen during the remainder of 2011 will be published in the Resource Accounts for the year ending 31 March 2012, after the accounts have been finalised.
Less serious incidents that arise are managed locally, and the details of these are not collated centrally. To do so would involve disproportionate cost.
Procurement: Capital Bonds
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the total value of contracts issued or to be issued by his Department in 2011-12 have required successful organisations to put up a capital bond; and if he will make a statement. [94909]
Chris Grayling: In the financial year 2011-12 to date, the Department has not awarded any contracts where successful organisations have been required to put up a capital bond. For the remainder of the financial year, there are no contracts in train where such a bond will be required.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which contracts his Department has tendered or will tender in 2011-12 which require successful organisations to have a capital bond of more than £5 million; which contracts have not required such a bond; and if he will make a statement. [94925]
Chris Grayling: In the financial year 2011-12 to date, the Department has not tendered or awarded any contracts where successful organisations have been required to put up a capital bond of more than £5 million. For the remainder of the financial year, there are no contracts in train where a capital bond of £5 million or more will be required.
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Departmental Responsibilities
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his Department's delivery plan, what milestones were not achieved in 2011; and whether there are any milestones he expects not to achieve in 2012. [94475]
Chris Grayling: All the milestones listed in the 2011-15 Department for Work and Pensions' business plan are monitored on a continual basis and progress reports are published each month on the Department's website. The three milestones for which the Department missed implementation in 2011, along with the reasons for having done so as appeared on the Department's website, are as follows:
(i) action 3.1(iii): Introduce jobseeker's allowance for lone parents whose youngest child is 5 or over.
Reason for missing implementation:
The introduction of this change is linked to the Welfare Reform Bill 2011 gaining Royal Assent. This change cannot be introduced until two months after the Bill gains Royal Assent.
(ii) action 4.7(ii): Publish the Government's response to the Green Paper on state pension reform.
Reason for missing implementation:
The Government's consultation on options for reforming the state pension system for future pensioners ended on June 24, 2011 and we published a summary of responses on 27 July, 2011. We are continuing to consider the issue of state pension reform. Once a decision is taken we will publish a White Paper and impact assessment as part of the usual process.
(iii) action 6.2(ii): Reduce follow-on queries from 80 million automated letters issued each year.
Reason for missing implementation:
The Department has decided that there would be little benefit in progressing the Transforming Letters project in a cost-effective way before the planned introduction of universal credit. Although the underpinning technology will be re-used in universal credit, the programme of changes between now and the introduction of the new benefit would be largely nugatory and the Department has decided, therefore, to close the project early. Final closure activities are now well-advanced and we expect the project will terminate later this year.
As of 31 January 2012, actions 3.1(iii) and 4.7(h) remain outstanding.
The Department is currently reviewing its commitments for 2012 and these are due to be published in its business plan in the spring.
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to encourage the use of e-mail in preference to printed correspondence for communications between his Department and hon. Members. [94856]
Chris Grayling: The Department will want to consider this issue in the light of the views of hon. and right hon. Members and having taken account of previous and existing experiments of the use of e-mail in preference to printed correspondence.
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Employment and Support Allowance: Pensions
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons people in receipt of contributory-based employment and support allowance (ESA) receive a lower rate of ESA if they have saved for a pension. [94721]
Chris Grayling: Employment and support allowance (ESA) is intended to provide a measure of income replacement for sick and disabled people of working age. Where people have a significant personal pension or have retired from their regular occupation with a significant occupational pension before reaching state pension age, we believe it is right to take some account of that pension income in deciding the amount of contributory benefit that they should receive. Before the introduction of ESA, this was already a well-established principle within other contribution-based benefits, such as incapacity benefit and contributory jobseeker's allowance.
In calculating entitlement to contributory ESA, the first £85 of any occupational and personal pension income is disregarded, along with half of any excess. The threshold is regularly reviewed as part of the annual
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benefits uprating exercise. Given its other priorities, in particular making work pay and the state of the public finances, the Government considered that the disregard remained set at a reasonable level and decided that it was not appropriate to increase it.
Farms: Accidents
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of accidents on farms in (a) England, (b) Cumbria and (c) Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency in each of the last five years. [95719]
Chris Grayling: HSE holds details of fatal and non-fatal injuries to workers (i.e. employees and the self-employed) and members of the public on farms reported to it under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR). It should be noted however that the Labour Force Survey suggests significant underreporting in this industry.
The details of injuries sustained to workers and members of the public recorded by HSE are set out in the following tables. The data for 2010-11 are treated as provisional until April 2012.
| England | |||||||
| Workers | Members of public | ||||||
| Fatal | Major | Over 3 day | Total | Fatal | Non-fatal | Total | |
| Cumbria | |||||||
| Workers | Members of public | ||||||
| Fatal | Major | Over 3 day | Total | Fatal | Non-fatal | Total | |
| South Lakeland (2) | |||||||
| Workers | Members of public | ||||||
| Fatal | Major | Over 3 day | Total | Fatal | Non-fatal | Total | |
| (1) Provisional.( 2 )The statistics cannot be broken down to the level of the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency. | |||||||
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to improve safety on farms. [95721]
Chris Grayling: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigates reported fatal and selected non-fatal injuries and complaints made about poor health and safety practices on farms.
HSE also actively promotes health and safety on farms through a programme of farming safety and health awareness days (SHADs) in England, Scotland and Wales. SHADs are half-day training events based on practical demonstrations of everyday hazards faced by farmers, farming families and workers. The events target family farmers, the self-employed and those employing up to four people.
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Formally, HSE promotes health and safety in the industry through the work of its Agriculture Industry Advisory Committee. This committee provides a mechanism for bringing together and consulting with the industry and for helping to set priorities to promote the attitudinal and cultural changes required if there is to be sustainable improvement in the industry's health and safety performance.
Over the past 12-15 months, HSE has specifically been working in partnership with the key industry stakeholders and, among other things, is supporting the Farm Industry Safety Partnerships led by the National Farmers Union (NFU) and the similar group in Wales led by NFU Cymru. HSE is currently exploring the scope for further partnership working in Scotland with NFU Scotland and other stakeholders. These partnerships are actively developing a range of activities and initiatives to promote health and safety through their respective memberships.
Jobcentre Plus: Training
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training programmes Jobcentre Plus staff undertake to ensure they remain qualified to offer (a) careers and (b) benefits advice to job seekers. [94710]
Chris Grayling: Jobcentre Plus staff receive comprehensive learning which includes exploring all aspects connected with finding, getting and keeping a job—as required by current benefit regulations; this learning is frequently updated. With regard to offering careers advice to jobseekers, although Jobcentre Plus staff are experts in job search activities, for any in depth careers advice for jobseekers we work in partnership with the local careers services who have staff fully qualified in careers advice.
The learning for the advisory teams has recently been enhanced to cover benefit conditionality, a benefits quick reference guide and other recent Government initiatives. The learning programme supports individuals in advising the jobseeker about benefit conditionality and expected roles and responsibilities. They can also give jobseekers an idea of benefits and indicative income they would be entitled to if they started or increased their hours of work by providing better calculations and encouraging jobseekers to use the online support provided by the Benefit Adviser Service.
There are a number of supporting products and guidance in place to assist advisers in providing advice to jobseekers. These products include a new Adviser Knowledge Hub, which is an easily accessible intranet platform, designed to bring together information and intelligence about the labour market into one place. There is also the Advisory Services Team Intranet site, which is a key communication tool regularly used by Managers and Advisers to access key information and news updates relating to their work. Jobcentre Plus guidance for advisers is maintained by expert teams who review the guidance regularly to ensure it is up to date and fit for purpose.
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Mrs Hodgson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the provisions of the Welfare Reform
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Bill with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; and if he will make a statement. [92003]
Maria Miller: The Government have considered the compatibility of the Bill with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and are satisfied that the provisions are compatible.
Universal Credit
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to provide information on the different sections of universal credit which are being paid when it is paid as a single payment. [94729]
Chris Grayling: As a result of feedback from expert users and claimants during development, UC payment screens have been designed to include a payment overview screen which displays the main components of UC and a detailed payment screen which shows a full payment breakdown.
Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what effect the introduction of universal credit will have on the income of people who receive disability living allowance and become councillors. [94738]
Chris Grayling: Disability living allowance (DLA) will be disregarded as income in the calculation of universal credit. Personal independence payment, which will replace DLA, initially for people of working age (16 to 64) from 2013 will be treated in the same way. DLA and PIP will be separate benefits outside universal credit and will not be means tested. They will continue to be paid to people both in and out of work. Allowances for councillors, less relevant expenses, are currently treated as earnings in certain income-related benefits. We are considering how best to take such earned income into account under universal credit and work is ongoing.
Work Programme
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employer contacts his Department has made to confirm that a Work Programme participant has ceased to receive benefits since the inception of the Work Programme. [94683]
Chris Grayling: The Department will begin conducting in work checks in relation to the Work Programme in April 2012.
Work Programme: Scotland
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) which organisations participating in the Work Programme are providing work placements in Scotland; [96142]
(2) which organisations provide mandatory work placements through Work Programme prime providers in Scotland; and where such organisations are based; [96144]
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(3) which organisations applied to provide mandatory work placements through the Work Programme in Scotland but were not engaged by the prime provider; and where those organisations are based. [96145]
Chris Grayling: The Work Programme is totally flexible to meet the needs of individuals, with no fixed or obligatory elements. Providers may offer work placements to meet the needs of some individual participants, but the Department does not hold details of individual placements or organisations offering work placements as this is a commercial matter between providers and any interested organisations.
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which organisations have applied to be mandatory work placement providers in Scotland; which organisations have been accepted; and where those organisations are based. [96143]
Chris Grayling: The JHP Group, The Wise Group, Ingeus Deloitte, Reed and Atos all applied to be mandatory work activity providers in Scotland. JHP were identified as the successful supplier.
The head offices of the organisations are as follows:
JHP Group–Coventry
The Wise Group–Glasgow
Ingeus Deloitte—London
Reed in Partnership–Southwark
Atos—London.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Common Fisheries Policy
Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which countries have European Partnership Agreements under the Common Fisheries Policy; and how much expenditure has been incurred under each agreement. [95732]
Richard Benyon: The following table sets out the EU fisheries partnership agreements currently in force and the annual financial contribution under each.
| Country | Per year EU contribution (€) |
In addition, the EU has a number of fisheries partnership agreements that have lapsed or are currently dormant with Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritius and Senegal. The agreement with Morocco is currently suspended.
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Seal Conservation
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consideration her Department has given to replacing the Conservation of Seals Act 1970 with a Protection of Seals Act. [95183]
Richard Benyon: The Conservation of Seals Act 1970 in combination with other legislation is the appropriate mechanism for protecting seals in England, as it strikes the right and proportionate balance between the conservation of seal populations and the needs of those impacted upon by individual problem seals.
The Law Commission announced its 11(th) Programme of work on 19 July 2011. This includes a project to look at how wildlife management legislation, including the Conservation of Seals Act, can be reformed. This project will focus on reform of the enabling framework so regulation is more effective, rather than changing our existing policy objectives. The Law Commission will report its conclusions in February 2013.
Marine Conservation Zones
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2011, Official Report, columns 655-6W, on marine conservation zones, what discussions her Department has had with Natural England on funding for work related to marine conservation zones from 1 April 2012; on what dates such discussions took place; and what additional resources will be provided by (a) her Department and (b) Natural England for carrying out seabed and habitat monitoring (i) from 1 April 2012 and (ii) in the next three years. [95741]
Richard Benyon: We continue to work closely with both Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee on all aspects of work related to the development and designation of Marine Conservation Zones. I have already announced that DEFRA will provide approximately £3.5 million over the next three years for seabed and habitat monitoring. Discussions in relation to the full range of funding allocations and resources for Natural England and The Joint Nature Conservation Committee, including for work on Marine Conservation Zones, are ongoing and final decisions have not yet been taken.
Roads: Litter
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to hold a summit on roadside litter. [95927]
Richard Benyon: In March, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), will host a meeting of representatives from the vehicle sector, including hirers, manufacturers, trade associations, retailers and others, to discuss the voluntary actions they can take to help alleviate the problem of littering from vehicles.
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House of Commons Commission
Information and Communications Technology
Thomas Docherty: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the value is of the contract awarded by PICT to Hardcat to support the audit of IT hardware on the parliamentary estate. [96135]
John Thurso: The value of the contract for the audit of IT hardware across both Houses of Parliament is £16,875. This includes visiting all locations and reconciling the data collected with existing records.
Thomas Docherty: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment PICT made of the ability of in-house staff to perform the audit of IT hardware on the parliamentary estate before awarding the contract to Hardcat. [96136]
John Thurso: PICT considered before awarding the contract which parts of the work could best be done by its own staff and which should be contracted out. The audit is being conducted in part by parliamentary ICT staff. It has proved helpful in the past to have the supplier of the database, in this case Hardcat, involved in the data collection and reconciliation process to address any issues that arise. The contractors employed specialise in this work and are able to complete the task quickly with minimal disruption.
Trees
Thomas Docherty: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, (1) how many trees there are on the Commons part of the parliamentary estate; [96132]
(2) how many trees on the Commons part of the parliamentary estate are (a) owned by the House and (b) rented; [96133]
(3) what the monetary value is of the contract for rental of fig trees in Portcullis House; when that contract ceases; and what estimate he has made of the current monetary value of the fig trees. [96134]
John Thurso: There are 145 trees on the Commons part of the parliamentary estate, as follows:
Speakers Green—one mulberry tree and one ash tree
New Palace Yard—117 limes making up the Lime Arbour, eight catalpa trees
North Terrace next to Portcullis House—five olive trees
1 Canon Row—one small tree just inside the gate (shared ownership with the Department of Health)
Portcullis House—12 fig trees.
Trees forming part of hedges or bushes have not been included in these figures.
All the trees on the Commons part of the parliamentary estate are owned by the House, with the exception of the tree at 1 Canon Row (shared ownership) and the 12 fig trees in Portcullis House, which are leased under contract from Plant Care.
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The contract for the hire and maintenance of the trees is with Plant Care. The annual payment for the trees (excluding VAT, which is reclaimed), is as follows:
Hire: £12,000
Upkeep: £20,486.
This is a rolling contract with an annual renewal date in September.
Plant Care has quoted a value of £6,600 per tree, which includes the cost of purchase of the planters and equipment. No independent valuation has been made.
Communities and Local Government
HomeSwap Direct Scheme
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the HomeSwap Direct scheme; and if he will make a statement. [95414]
Grant Shapps: HomeSwap Direct increases opportunities for social tenants who wish to find a new home by allowing tenants looking for a swap to see details of every possible property nationwide, no matter which mutual exchange website their landlord has chosen to subscribe to. The scheme has operated very successfully since its launch in October 2011 with tenants carrying out over 280,000 searches of the property data held on HomeSwap Direct.
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the HomeSwap Direct scheme at screening out sub-letting of council and registered social landlord properties; and if he will make a statement. [95415]
Grant Shapps: In addition to the Government's current £20 million package to help landlords tackle social housing fraud, a consultation was launched on 11 January that put forward proposals that would increase the deterrent to tenants considering cheating the system, allow those who do cheat to be detected more easily and punished more severely, and encourage social landlords to take a more proactive approach to tackling tenancy fraud.
The consultation runs until 4 April and can be found at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/pdf/2064044.pdf
HomeSwap Direct was launched in October 2011 to allow social tenants who wish to move through a mutual exchange to see details of all possible properties nationwide. It is the responsibility of landlords to check tenant records before approving an exchange.
The scheme has operated very successfully since its launch, with tenants carrying out over 280,000 searches of the property data held on HomeSwap Direct.
Procurement
Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on procuring products and services by each local authority in 2010-11. [93491]
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Robert Neill: I have today placed in the Library of the House a table showing procurement expenditure in 2010-11 for each local authority in England.
This represents £61 billion of spending of taxpayers' money. Ministers are clear that there is significant scope for major savings in local authority procurement, to save taxpayers' money, help pay off the deficit inherited from the last Administration, and support improved frontline services.
My Department has been supporting the Local Productivity Programme developed by the local government sector and led by the Local Government Association.
The Government are looking at ways to improve access to tenders and procurement opportunities to small and medium firms, including promoting greater use of Contract Finder; this is a potential win to both British firms and local councils.
The Government have been cutting unnecessary procurement red-tape, such as removing Pre-Qualification Questionnaires for procurements below £100,000; such requirements have previously discouraged small business from tendering opportunities.
Given councils a new general power of competence via the Localism Act 2011, which will remove legal barriers to greater innovation and partnership working.
More broadly, there are a series of practical steps that councils should be taking:
embracing transparency on spending, tenders, contracts and property assets, as required by the new “Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency”,
introducing new checks and balances on Government Procurement Card and other corporate credit card spending, as recommended by Sir Philip Green's report on government efficiency; over 220 councils use Government Procurement Cards;
undertaking data analysis of such transparency information to identify savings;
tackling procurement fraud, estimated by the National Fraud Authority to cost local government £855 million a year;
eliminating duplicate spending: research by Experian has estimated that councils could be losing a significant amount every year in duplicate payments;
increasing joint working and bulk buying, including the sharing of back office services and senior staff; and
using electronic auctions, reducing multiple suppliers, negotiating hard on contracts and promoting competition between suppliers.
The Government are working to simplify EU legislation, however, it is clear that some councils have gold-plated EU Procurement Guidance.
Councils now need to change the way they think about commissioning services. It is not necessarily about sticking to what they have always done but instead asking the market to provide innovative and cost-effective ways to deliver the services that residents want. This will require a change of attitude in some councils:
prioritising local objectives above institutions;
countering the “this is the way we have always done it” approach and not being afraid to think differently;
not using or blaming procurement rules to make the process slow and cumbersome; and
engaging with potential providers at an earlier stage around the design and delivery of solutions and building more long term relationships.
The Open Public Services White Paper and the growth review called for public services to be open to a range of providers to drive lower costs, innovation and greater community involvement, and offer new opportunities to business.
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When trying to balance their bills, householders look closely at where all their money is going, change suppliers, shop around and hunt out the bargains. Town halls need to follow exactly the same advice.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to answer question 91633 tabled by the hon. Member for Leeds West on 20 January 2012 for answer on 25 January 2012. [96129]
Robert Neill: Question 91633 was answered on 22 February 2012, Official Report, column 834W.
Cabinet Office
Advisory Services
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) whether he plans to seek confirmation from the devolved Administrations in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland that the consequential funding from the Government's allocation of funds to support not-for-profit free advice services has been used for equivalent purposes; and which agencies have received that funding; [95752]
(2) whether his officials have held discussions with officials from devolved Administrations in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland on the distribution of funding announced in November 2011 for not-for-profit free advice services in England. [95751]
Mr Hurd: The Cabinet Office agreed to oversee the administration of the English portion of the £20 million only—£16.8 million for the Advice Services Fund (ASF). Allocation of public expenditure between the services under the control of the devolved Administrations is for the devolved Administrations to determine.
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much and what proportion of the funding allocated to not-for-profit free advice services in England had been distributed on the latest date for which figures are available; and to which agencies such funding has been allocated. [95753]
Mr Hurd: Big Fund, which is administering the £16.8 million Advice Services Fund (ASF) grant on behalf of the Cabinet Office, sent out conditional offer letters to successful applicants at the end of January. Big Fund is currently carrying out appropriate checks on organisations; hence to date no money has been distributed. A final list of successful applicants will be published on the Big Fund website in March 2012.
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when consequential funds from the £20 million for not-for-profit free advice services were made available to the devolved Administrations in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland to draw down. [95754]
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Mr Hurd: Additional funding was made available to the devolved Administrations for 2011-12 in the 2011-12 supplementary estimates.
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of the £3.2 million allocated to the devolved Administrations as consequential funding for not-for-profit free advice services was made available to the (a) Welsh Assembly Government, (b) Scottish Government and (c) Northern Ireland Executive. [95755]
Mr Hurd: The £3.2 million funding for not-for-profit free advice services has been apportioned in the following way:
| £ million | |
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made in his Department's cross-government review of funding for the advice sector; and if he will make a statement. [95990]
Mr Hurd: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 596W.
Senior Civil Servants: Training
Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the Major Projects Leadership Academy. [95877]
Mr Maude: Any investment in the Major Projects Leadership Academy (MPLA) will, in the long run, increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the Government's major projects, and will save taxpayers' money.
The project is still in its pilot phase. The overall cost will depend on the final form.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which projects have been chosen and approved to participate in the Major Projects Leadership Academy. [95878]
Mr Maude: Project Leaders (Senior Responsible Owners and Project Directors) from each of the Major Projects and Programmes that make up the Government's Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP), will be eligible to participate in the Major Projects Leadership Academy. The Academy will ensure that, for the first time, proper rigorous training and support will be in place for major project leaders.
We are in the process of finalising the first cohort of 25 project leaders for Phase One of the Academy roll out.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many civil servants will be eligible to apply to the Major Projects Leadership Academy. [95879]
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Mr Maude: Projects Leaders (Senior Responsible Owners and Project Directors) of all of the Government's Major Projects and Programmes are eligible to be considered for the Major Projects Leadership Academy.
Working Hours: Scotland
Mr Bain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average hours worked were by people employed in each (a) local authority area in Scotland and (b) parliamentary constituency in Scotland in each of the last 12 months. [95773]
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 February 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the average hours worked were by people employed in each (a) local authority area in Scotland and (b) Parliamentary constituency in Scotland in each of the last 12 months (95773).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics on Average Hours Worked from the Annual Population Survey (APS). Monthly estimates for the requested geographies are not available from this source.
As an alternative the following tables give the mean actual number of hours worked per worker per week for the geographies requested for the 12 month APS periods ending June 2010 and June 2011, the latest period for which figures are available.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
| Mean hours worked per worker per week (1) by local authority area in Scotland | ||
| 12 months ending: | ||
| June 2010 | June 2011 | |
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| Mean hours worked per worker per week (1) by parliamentary constituency in Scotland | ||
| 12 months ending: | ||
| June 2010 | June 2011 | |
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| (1 )Average actual hours worked per week in main and second job, including paid and unpaid overtime, includes those who did not state whether they work full or part-time. Source: Annual Population Survey | ||
Health
Accident and Emergency Departments: Waiting Lists
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish waiting time data for the Accident and Emergency Department of Northwick Park Hospital; and if he will make a statement. [96237]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department publishes weekly statistics for accident and emergency (A&E) activity at national health service trust level on its website. The data for week ending 5 February 2012 can be accessed at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Statistics/Performancedataandstatistics/WeeklySituationReports/index.htm
The NHS Information Centre also publishes data on A&E clinical quality indicators at NHS trust level, drawn from A&E data within provisional Hospital Episode Statistics. Data relating to A&E attendances in September 2011 can be accessed at:
www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/hospital-care/accident-and-emergency-hospital-episode-statistics-hes
Cardiovascular System: Health Services
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to prevent acute myocardial infarction. [95750]
Mr Simon Burns: The NHS Health Check programme is a national public health programme for people in England aged 40 to 74. The purpose of the programme is to identify an individual's risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes, and for that risk to be managed through appropriate follow up.
The programme is aimed at tackling inequalities. Primary care trusts are, therefore, commissioning programmes which aim to reach those who are not in touch with formal health care.
Issues around the prevention of coronary heart disease will be considered as part of the development of the forthcoming Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy.
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Contraceptives
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2011, Official Report, column 541W, on contraceptives, (1) what elements his Department believes should be included in the commissioning of appropriate confidential, open-access sexual health services; [95372]
(2) what his Department's definition is of appropriate in relation to the commissioning of confidential, open-access sexual health services; [95373]
(3) what criteria his Department plans that (a) Public Health England and (b) the Care Quality Commission will use to assess whether sexual health services being commissioned are appropriate to meet the needs of their users. [95374]
Paul Burstow: Subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, there will be a small number of functions that local authorities (LAs) will be mandated to commission. One of these functions will be appropriate access to sexual health services, including contraception. Our intention is to mandate LAs to provide open access contraception services, to ensure that there is reasonable provision of all methods of contraception, and to ensure that contraception is supplied free of charge. LAs will need to make decisions about how services should be provided in order to fulfil this mandate. These arrangements are similar to the requirements currently placed on primary care trusts.
Public Health England will provide services, expertise, information and advice to LAs to help them to undertake both mandated and non-mandated functions. The Care Quality Commission will continue to regulate any sexual health services which are registered with the Commission because they are undertaking regulated activities.
Infectious Diseases
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps Public Health England will take to track and monitor infectious diseases; what (a) role and (b) responsibilities directors of public health will have in managing local outbreaks. [95926]
Anne Milton: The public health White Paper, “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Our strategy for public health in England”, published in November 2010, set out the Government's ambitious programme to improve public health. Subject to Parliament, from April 2013 the reforms will allow upper tier and unitary local authorities to take the lead for improving health and co-ordinating local efforts to protect the public's health and well-being.
To support this new local leadership role, we intend to establish a new executive agency, Public Health England. Public Health England will bring together the wide range of public health specialists and bodies into one integrated public health service.
Public Health England will carry out nationwide and specialist functions for public health. This will include surveillance of infectious diseases, an expert function currently carried out by the Health Protection Agency. Public Health England will build on the Health Protection Agency's record in demonstrating scientific and analytical
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rigour. It will be dedicated to providing impartial and objective advice, evidence and expert judgment and taking action based on the best available evidence.
Upper tier and unitary local authorities will have a duty to ensure plans are in place to protect their local populations from a range of threats to their health. Directors of public health in each upper tier and unitary local authority will be responsible for delivering this function. Working closely with Public Health England, the director of public health will lead the response to a local public health incident, keeping the local national health service emergency lead fully informed.
Midwives
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the places commissioned for student midwives in the 2011-12 academic year were filled. [95895]
Paul Burstow: The Department collects the number of midwifery training commissions filled by students by financial year, rather than academic year.
The actual number of training commissions in 2011-12 will be collected after the end of the financial year and will be available by mid May 2012.
However, at the beginning of 2011-12, strategic health authorities (SHAs) planned a total of 2,472 midwifery training commissions. By the end of December 2011, SHAs had commissioned 2,241 (90.7%) midwifery training places and forecast a further 226 (9.1%) places to be commissioned in the final quarter of the year. This equates to a planned shortfall of just five (0.2%) midwifery training commissions against the initial SHA plans.
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the analysis of the midwifery workforce undertaken by the Centre for Workforce Intelligence; and if he will make a statement. [95896]
Paul Burstow: The Centre for Workforce Intelligence will be starting this work in March 2012 and are not expected to deliver their final report until autumn 2012.
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he expects information on the numbers of (a) midwives, (b) student midwives and (c) births, currently published on a regional basis, in future to be published at the level of strategic health authority clusters. [95897]
Paul Burstow: The number of student midwifery commissions is collected by the Department as part of the Multi-Professional Education and Training financial information management returns submitted by strategic health authorities and is in the public domain. It will be aggregated to cluster level during the next financial year.
The numbers of births and midwives are not collected by the Department. The annual birth statistics are collected and published by the Office of National Statistics and the number of midwives is collected by the NHS Information Centre. We are not aware that either of these organisations have plans to change the way their data are collated or published.
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Patients: Illegal Immigrants
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts have a policy of not allowing illegal immigrants to register for treatment. [95866]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department is not aware of any primary care trusts (PCTs) that have a policy of not allowing illegal immigrants to register for treatment.
We are aware that there is some confusion among general practitioners (GPs) and PCTs regarding eligibility for people not living permanently in this country to access free national health service primary care. On 18 March 2011, the Government announced a further review regarding charging foreign nationals for NHS services that will include whether GP or other NHS services outside of hospitals should be charged for.
The review will be thorough and consultative, and will take full account of NHS values, public health needs and humanitarian obligations. We expect that developed proposals will be ready for further consultation this year.
Prostate Cancer: Health Services
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of progress with the National Cancer Equality Initiative aimed at improving outcomes for men with prostate cancer. [96029]
Paul Burstow: The National Cancer Equality Initiative (NCEI) is a partnership between the Government, the national health service, professionals, patients, academics and the voluntary sector, aiming to improve outcomes by reducing inequalities and promoting equality for patients with all types of cancer.
The NCEI has established a basket of equality metrics, which are being used nationally and locally to track progress and lever improvements to cancer services. The metrics have been disseminated through the Equalities Portal:
www.ncin.org.uk/equalities/
which has a specific section on prostate cancer.
The NCEI is working with Macmillan Cancer Support and Age UK on a £1 million programme to improve cancer care for older people, which will help us to deliver improved outcomes by ensuring that older people's needs are properly assessed and met. Three of the five pilot areas (Merseyside and Cheshire Cancer Network, South East London Cancer Network, and Sussex Cancer Network) are looking at urological cancers, including prostate cancer.
The Department, the National Cancer Action team (NCAT) and The Prostate Cancer Charity have worked with Newham Primary Care Trust and Newham University Hospital NHS Trust to pilot the Newham Prostate Health Drop-in Clinic. The community walk-in clinic for men with prostate concerns was held at the Newham African-Caribbean Resource Centre, and a formal evaluation will be published in due course.
Under the umbrella of the NCEI, NCAT has undertaken a number of projects related to reducing inequalities for men with prostate cancer as part of its black and
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minority ethnic (BME) programme. In July 2011, as part of Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Week, NCAT produced a health supplement for
The Voice
newspaper, reaching more than 60,000 people of African and African Caribbean origin. The supplement had a full page dedicated to raising the awareness of prostate cancer, including key facts, symptoms and what to look for, and testing for prostate cancer. As part of the ‘Cancer does not discriminate’ initiative, community ambassadors are working in partnership with the Spectrum Radio Network to produce two specific interviews on prostate cancer, which aired on London Bangla Radio for the Bangladeshi community and Radio Focus for the Ghanaian community. NCAT has also set up The National BME Cancer Voice, an initiative to provide a voice for BME patients, including prostate cancer patients, and their carers to improve cancer services.
Energy and Climate Change
Armed Forces: Housing
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate the number of service family accommodation properties that will benefit from the Green Deal. [95846]
Gregory Barker: Department of Energy and Climate Change and Ministry of Defence officials are working together to ensure that service family accommodation benefits from the high levels of energy efficiency which can be delivered by the Green Deal. However, accommodation for service families is provided on a different basis to typical tenancy arrangements and so officials are also investigating whether an adapted approach could be taken which would be more suitable for service family accommodation.
British Antarctic Survey
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what support his Department gives to the British Antarctic Survey. [96264]
Gregory Barker: DECC provided no funding for the British Antarctic Survey.
Civil Nuclear Export Showcase
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reason he authorised Her Majesty's Chief Nuclear Inspector to attend the January 2012 Civil Nuclear Export Showcase organised by UK Trade and Investment in partnership with the Nuclear Industry Association; and what the cost to his Department was of the Chief Nuclear Inspector's participation. [94673]
Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
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HM Chief Nuclear Inspector attended and addressed the Showcase at the invitation of UK Trade and Investment. His presentation provided a platform for the Chief Inspector to reinforce the importance of nuclear safety and security as an issue at the heart of nuclear development work and explore the lessons learnt from the Fukushima event in March 2011. His travel and subsistence costs associated with the event were approximately £300.00 which are recovered from charges to the nuclear industry though the Department for Work and Pensions and the Health and Safety Executive, in line with normal arrangements.
Electricity
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 2.4.29, page 54 of Planning our electric future: a White Paper for secure, affordable and low-carbon electricity, what assessment he has made of the options for implementing exemptions to the emissions performance standard for carbon capture and storage demonstration plant. [95819]
Charles Hendry: The Government confirmed in the electricity market reform White Paper, published on 12 July 2011, that exemptions to the EPS will apply to plant forming part of the UK Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Demonstration Programme, or benefiting from European funding for commercial scale CCS. We have since been working with stakeholders to develop the detail of key aspects of the implementation of the proposed EPS regime, and we are considering the options on how to implement an exemption so that the EPS is set in a way which does not undermine the development of CCS technology.
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 2.4.34, page 55 of Planning our electric future: a White Paper for secure, affordable and low-carbon electricity, what progress he has made on structuring the emissions performance standard in a way that does not act as a disincentive to investment in combined heat and power. [95820]
Charles Hendry: The Government remain committed to supporting the development of good quality combined heat and power. We are therefore giving careful consideration to the treatment of CHP under the Emissions Performance Standard. Following publication of the electricity market reform White Paper we have been discussing the detailed design of the instrument with stakeholders, and considering the different options, to ensure we avoid structuring the EPS in a way which could act as a disincentive to investment in CHP.
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 2.4.36, page 56 of Planning our electric future: a White Paper for secure, affordable and low-carbon electricity, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on the administration of the emissions performance standard. [95821]
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Charles Hendry: The electricity market reform White Paper stated the Government's preference for the EPS regime to apply across the UK as far as possible, taking appropriate account of the respective devolution settlements, policy preferences and existing market arrangements across the devolved Administrations, and that the relevant environmental regulators would likely be best placed to administer the mechanism. We are continuing to discuss this with the devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to page 30 of Planning our electric future: a White Paper for secure, affordable and low-carbon electricity, what progress he has made towards (a) generating 15 per cent. of the UK's energy consumption from renewable energy sources and (b) 10 per cent. of energy used by transport coming from renewable sources by 2020. [95823]
Charles Hendry: In December 2011 we submitted our first progress report to the European Commission, as required under the renewable energy directive. This shows that at the end of 2010 (the latest data available) 3.3% of our energy came from renewable sources, and that we are currently on track to meet our first interim target of 4.04% over 2011-12(1).
In respect of progress made towards meeting the 10% transport target in the RED, I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Member for Garston and Halewood (Maria Eagle) by the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker), on 20 December 2011, Official Report, column 1173W.
(1) http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/renewable _ener/renewable_ener.aspx
Energy: Billing
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the number of households on social and discounted energy tariffs in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11. [96231]
Gregory Barker: In the 2008 Budget, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West (Mr Darling), announced an increase in suppliers' collective expenditure on their voluntary social programmes.
Government requested that Ofgem set the parameters for what could be included by suppliers as part of this spend on social initiatives and annually monitor suppliers' progress against the voluntary commitment.
Ofgem have published the figures in annual reports on suppliers social spend covering the years 2008-11. This includes the numbers of customer accounts on social and discounted tariffs in Great Britain.
By 31 March 2011, 1,029,332 customer accounts were benefiting from social and discounted tariffs:
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/SocAction/Suppliers/CSR/Documents1/Suppliers%20Social%20Spend%20report%202010-2011.pdf
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By 31 March 2010, 1,010,382 customer accounts were benefiting from social and discounted tariffs:
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/SocAction/Suppliers/CSR/Documents1/Monitoring%20Suppliers%20Social%20Spend%202009-10.pdf
By 31 March 2009, 1,004,470 customer accounts were benefiting from social tariffs:
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/SocAction/Suppliers/CSR/Documents1/Monitoring_suppliers_social_spend_2008_09_final.pdf
Energy: Private Rented Housing
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of properties in the private rented sector with an energy efficiency rating of (a) A, (b) B, (c) C, (d) D, (e) E, (f) F and (g) G. [96000]
Gregory Barker: The most recent data showing private rented sector properties split by energy efficiency rating are contained in the 2009 English Housing Survey, published in 2011. The relevant data are summarised as follows:
| Private rented sector | |
| Percentage | |
Green Deal Scheme
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the publication timetable is for the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation statutory instruments. [96545]
Gregory Barker: The Government published draft legislation alongside their consultation on 23 November 2011. It is available here:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/green_deal/green deal.aspx
Subject to Parliament, we expect to have the final legislation on the statute book by the summer recess.
Members: Correspondence
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to respond to the letters of 22 November 2011 and 20 January 2012 from the hon. Member for Weaver Vale concerning Mr Ronald Cox. [95863]
Gregory Barker: I have now replied to my hon. Friend and apologised for the delay in doing so. This was due to an administrative error.
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Meters
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many secondees from each energy supplier his Department has employed to work on the smart meter programme. [95875]
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many smart meters he expects to have been installed by the end of 2019. [95885]
Charles Hendry: The Government estimate that around 30 million smart electricity meters and 23 million smart gas meters will be installed within this period.
Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has made an assessment of the Government's liability for loss of income following the Court of Appeal ruling on its consultation on the feed-in tariff for solar PV. [96233]
Gregory Barker: The Government do not accept that they have any such liability and have therefore not made such an assessment.
Solar Power
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) jobs in the solar industry and (b) domestic installations undertaken if an Option A 13.6p tariff is adopted in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15. [95666]
Gregory Barker: The projected number of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations under the different proposed tariff options are set out in Tables 15 and 18a of the draft impact assessment published alongside phase 2A of the consultation on feed-in tariffs. The impact assessment does not separate out the number of domestic and non-domestic installations.
Annex B to the impact assessment sets out the methodology for estimating job numbers associated with solar PV installations, and the estimated number of jobs under proposed Option B tariffs. As it explains, the estimates are calculated as the number of full-time equivalent jobs per installation, so can be applied to the number of installations projected under the other tariff options as well.
The draft impact assessment is available at:
www.decc.gov.uk/media/viewfile.ashx?filetype=4&filepath =Consultations/fits-review/4320-feedin-tariffs-review-phase-2a-draft-impact-asses.pdf
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Third Sector
Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department has taken to implement the principles of the Best Value Statutory Guidance in respect of (a) giving at least three months' notice to voluntary and community organisations and their service users when reducing or ending funding, (b) engaging with voluntary and community organisations and service users as early as possible before making a decision on the future of the service, any knock-on effects on assets used to provide this service and the wider impact on the local community and (c) making provision for voluntary and community organisations and service users to put forward options on how to reshape the service or project. [95789]
Gregory Barker: DECC does not have specific processes in place which implement the principles of the Best Value Statutory Guidance. The obligations in relation to the Best Value Statutory Guidance published by the Department for Communities and Local Government in September 2011, do not apply to central Government Departments or their Executive agencies, as this guidance was designed specifically for local authorities. DECC however, in common with other central Government Departments, has signed up to the same fair standards set out in the guidance, through re-affirmed commitment to the national Compact, which was renewed in December 2010.
Warm Front Scheme
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with Carillion on job losses in Hull resulting from the reduction (a) in funding to the Warm Front scheme and (b) in the feed-in tariff for solar PV. [96447]
Gregory Barker: I have had recent discussions with Carillion plc on a number of aspects of the Department's energy efficiency and fuel poverty policies.
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the likely number of jobs which will be lost (a) in the Hull region and (b) nationally as a result of the reduction in funding for the Warm Front scheme. [96448]
Gregory Barker: I am aware of reports that Carillion Energy Services are restructuring Warm Front operations which may have a particular impact on the Hull region. Any such restructuring is a commercial decision for Carillion Energy Services, the Warm Front scheme manager.
The Warm Front budget for its final year, 2012-13, is £100 million. From the end of 2012 the installation of energy efficiency measures will be provided through the Green Deal and new Energy Company Obligation (ECO). Part of the Energy Company Obligation will specifically be designed to provide “Affordable Warmth” to low income vulnerable households, through heating and insulation measures. The impact assessment published alongside the Green Deal and ECO consultation document
23 Feb 2012 : Column 908W
proposed a central estimate for the cost of ECO at £1.3 billion per year. The consultation document explained that we expect around 25% if this cost to be directed towards meeting the Affordable Warmth target. The Green Deal programme has significant potential to create new jobs across the country, including the potential to double the number of jobs in the insulation industry alone, supporting at least 65,000 jobs by 2015.
Warm Home Discount Scheme
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people in (a) the UK, (b) each local authority and (c) each parliamentary constituency received assistance under the Warm Homes discount scheme in 2011-12. [96230]
Gregory Barker: We estimate that around 2 million low income and vulnerable households will receive support under the Warm Home discount scheme in year one of the scheme (2011-12). The scheme applies in Great Britain. This will include around 660,000 of the poorest pensioners who will be assisted through the Core Group. The scheme represents an increase in supplier spending this year of over 40% compared to the final year of the voluntary agreement.
Further information on the number of households assisted in GB will not be known until Ofgem have conducted a review of suppliers' spending after the end of year one of the scheme.
Wind Power
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what mechanism his Department has put in place to measure the average levels of wind in the counties of England; and what information his Department holds on the levels of wind in Northamptonshire. [95703]
Charles Hendry [holding answer 22 February 2012]:The Department has no mechanism to monitor the average levels of wind in the counties of England, and does not monitor wind speeds in Northamptonshire. However, DECC does produce average wind speed figures for the UK as a whole, which are based on data from 12 weather stations provided by the Met Office. Those are used to help provide context to DECC's wind generation figures for the UK as a whole, rather than for use in monitoring regional wind speeds. The table can be found at:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/energy_stats/source/temperatures/temperatures.aspx
DECC has funded a number of regional renewable and low carbon capacity assessments, including covering Northamptonshire, which will help local authorities and developers to identify areas where renewable energy development could be accommodated.
As the renewables obligation incentivises developers for actual electricity generation, it is in their best interest to bring forward projects in the windiest and least constrained sites.
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Transport
Sustainable Transport
13. Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund will be spent on integrating rail services with other modes of sustainable transport. [95961]
Norman Baker: 19 of the 39 projects so far funded through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund include measures which will help integrate rail services with sustainable transport. I will announce further successful projects in the summer. In addition, on 7 February I announced that the Cycle Rail Working Group will receive £7 million growth funding to introduce cycle-rail integration measures.
Piracy
14. Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on measures to safeguard UK shipping against piracy. [95963]
Mike Penning: I sit on the ministerial working group which leads the Government's counter-piracy work and considers measures to safeguard British shipping from acts of piracy. This includes military operations, prosecution of pirates in neighbouring states, and the Government's policy on the use of private armed guards, on which my Department has led.
Rail Schemes: Inward Investment
15. Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the likely effect on the planning of future rail schemes of inward investment in a given location. [95964]
Mrs Villiers: All rail investment is subject to the development of a business case which includes consideration of the wider economic benefits which the scheme in question would bring.
A49: Shropshire
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will ensure road safety measures to protect pedestrians crossing the road are put in place on the A49 in the village of Dorrington. [95864]
Mike Penning: As part of a national target to reduce injury collisions, the Highways Agency operates a value management process to target available resources to areas of greatest need.
Safety measures had previously been considered for the A49 at Dorrington but, when compared against other priority areas, the agency was unable to justify a scheme at this location.
However, following recent changes to the value management process, the agency is reassessing options for the A49, including the provision of a pedestrian
23 Feb 2012 : Column 910W
crossing at Dorrington. Until the process is complete, the agency cannot guarantee the proposal will be prioritised for funding.
Cycling: Safety
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had with the Driving Standards Agency on the Pass Plus Programme in respect of the safety of cyclists; and if she will make a statement. [95908]
Mike Penning: Pass Plus is a non-statutory, voluntary, training scheme for newly qualified drivers that aims to improve their skills and experience. It prepares them for driving on different types of road (eg motorways which learners cannot use) and provides them with experience of a number of different types of driving conditions.
The Secretary of State for Transport has had no specific discussions with the Driving Standards Agency on the Pass Plus Programme in respect of the safety of cyclists.
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has with the Driving Standards Agency on (a) theory and (b) practical driving tests in respect of the safety of cyclists. [95913]
Mike Penning: We continue to consider how to improve driver training to ensure that learner drivers have the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be safe and responsible on our roads. The Secretary of State for Transport has, however, had no specific discussions with the Driving Standards Agency on (a) theory and (b) practical driving tests in respect of the safety of cyclists. Every driving theory test includes six questions relating to vulnerable road users, including cyclists, and the Highway Code includes strong advice to drivers on the need to give cyclists enough space. We have made the practical driving test more realistic with candidates now needing to show that they can interact safely with others on the road without detailed instruction from the examiner.
Departmental Data Protection
Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cases of (a) data loss and (b) breaches of confidentiality occurred in her Department in 2011. [95726]
Norman Baker: Central records show that during 2011 there were nine security incidents reported that involved data loss.
The Department central record does not contain a category titled “breach of confidentiality”.
Information on personal data security breaches (which in some cases may give rise to a breach in confidentiality) is published on an annual basis in the Department's annual resource accounts. The Department's 2011-12 accounts are expected to be published in the summer. Less serious incidents are managed locally and a central record is not held. To collate information on such incidents from across the Department and its agencies would incur disproportionate cost.
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Additionally, all significant control weaknesses are included in the Statement of Internal Control which is published within the annual resource accounts.
Departmental Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was paid to officials in her Department and its non-departmental public bodies in (a) bonuses, (b) allowances and (c) other payments additional to basic salary in each of the last two years for which figures are available; what categories of payment may be made to officials in addition to basic salary; what the monetary value is of each category of payment; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest such payments made in each of the last two years. [89690]
Norman Baker: The amount paid to officials in the Department for Transport, its seven executive agencies and its non-departmental public bodies in non-consolidated performance related payments, allowances and other payments additional to basic salary in the last two financial years is shown in the following table. The percentage of the overall Departmental pay bill these figures represent are shown in brackets.
| £/(%) | |||
| Financial year | Non-consolidated performance payments | Allowances | Other payments |
Non-consolidated performance payments are made to employees for two reasons: in year payments to reward outstanding contributions in particularly demanding tasks or situations with small one-off payments, and performance related payments to reward highly successful performance over a whole appraisal year. These awards help drive high performance in the organisation, have to be re-earned each year and do not add to future pay bill costs.
Allowances are paid to assist in the recruitment and retention of employees in certain specialist posts. Allowances are also payable to employees who work shifts and some employees receive allowances instead of overtime payments such as private office employees.
Overtime payments are primarily made to our front line employees including those who deliver a service to the public, such as driving examiners, and those in operational roles such as transport security employees and accident investigators.
Over 60% of employees in the Department for Transport are either operational employees providing a front line service to the public or specialist employees.
Information on categories of payment and the monetary values of each category can be provided only at disproportionate cost. The 20 largest such payments made in the last two financial years are shown in the following table. These payments represent either non-consolidated performance related payments, annual allowances or the annual value of overtime payments.
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| £ | ||
| Rank | Largest payments 2009-10 | Largest payments 2010-11 |