Lobbying
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister with reference to the answer of 16 April 2013, Official Report, column 293W, on lobbying, what period of time was intended to be inferred by the phrase in due course used in the answer; when he expects to bring forward legislative proposals for a statutory register of lobbyists; and if he will make a statement. [158301]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Government have repeatedly made very clear their commitment to introducing a statutory register of lobbyists.
As I informed the House during Deputy Prime Minister's Questions on 4 June 2013, we will introduce legislation to provide for a lobbying register before the summer recess.
Justice
Animal Welfare: Sentencing
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to strengthen sentences available to courts for crimes relating to animal cruelty; and if he will make a statement. [156339]
Jeremy Wright: The Government abhor animal cruelty. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the "2006 Act"), it is an offence to cause any unnecessary suffering to an animal. It is also an offence under the 2006 Act to cause, take part in, or publicise an animal fight. The maximum penalty for both of these offences, as decided by Parliament, is six months' imprisonment, or a fine of up to £20,000, or both.
More generally, section 85 of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 will, when implemented, effectively lift the monetary cap on fines of £5,000 and allow magistrates the discretion to impose any fine they see fit, taking into account the seriousness of the offence and the means of the offender. The Government are currently taking steps to implement that provision.
Badgers
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions there have been for badger-baiting in the last five years for which figures are available. [157569]
Jeremy Wright:
The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. Court proceedings data held centrally for offences under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 are collated in an aggregated format, which does not allow the identification of specific badger
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cruelty related offences proceeded against under the Act. It is therefore not possible to separately identify from this centrally held information which findings of guilt under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 in the last five years related specifically to badger-baiting.
Conditions of Employment
Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many officials in his Department are employed on zero hours contracts. [156842]
Mrs Grant: The number of people employed on zero-hours contracts by the Ministry of Justice (Ministry of Justice HQ, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, National Offender Management Service and the Office of the Public Guardian) as at 31 March 2013 was 133.
Individuals on zero-hour contracts only get paid for the hours worked. The number of hours worked can vary according to workloads. The number of hours worked are recorded on weekly timesheets with local managers reviewing and approving claims made before payment is made.
Crime: Victims
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to ensure co-ordination between police and crime commissioners and prisons for work with victims of crime. [154182]
Mrs Grant: Police and crime commissioners are to become responsible for commissioning local support services for victims of crime. In order to respond effectively to the needs of victims in their areas, PCCs will want to work closely with a range of partners across the criminal justice system and beyond. The Government are strongly encouraging such partnership working but believe that the details of the arrangements to be put in place in any particular area are best left to those on the ground so as to ensure that they are tailored to meet local needs.
Data Protection
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department has any plans to bring forward an order under section 41a of the Data Protection Act 1988 to meet the recommendation of the Information Commissioner that his power to serve assessment notices be extended to NHS trusts and local councils. [156845]
Mrs Grant: On 25 March 2013, the Government published a consultation paper proposing that the Secretary of State uses the order making power under section 41A of the Data Protection Act 1998 to extend the powers of the Information Commissioner to carry out compulsory assessments of NHS bodies' compliance with the data protection principles under the Act. That consultation closed on 17 May. The Ministry of Justice is now considering the responses to the consultation and will publish a response within three months of the close of the consultation exercise.
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There are no plans to extend the Information Commissioners assessment notice powers to local councils.
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department has any plans to bring into force sections 77 and 78 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 to allow for custodial sentences for breach of section 55 of the Data Protection Act 1998. [156846]
Jeremy Wright: Following Lord Justice Leveson's Inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press, it is the Government's intention to conduct a public consultation on the full range of Lord Justice Leveson's data protection proposals, including on whether to make an Order introducing custodial sentences under section 77 (CJIA), and on whether to commence the enhanced public interest defence under section 78 (CJIA), which will seek views on their impact and how they might be approached.
G4S
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the current level of expenditure by his Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by his Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008. [154557]
Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice has spent the following amounts with G4S since the start of the 2008-09 financial year:
| Financial year | Amount (excluding VAT) |
| (1) A number of G4S contracts did not come under the control of the Department until part way through 2008-09. | |
Judges
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many High Court judges were appointed in each of the last three years. [157981]
Mrs Grant: The number of High Court judges appointed in each of the last three years is as follows:
| Number | |
Legal Aid Scheme
Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has made an impact assessment of the changes to legal aid on (a) access to legal aid and (b) quality of legal aid. [157138]
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Jeremy Wright: The Government have recently consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the ‘Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’ consultation which closed on 4 June 2013. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including the £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer.
Five impact assessments have been written in relation to this consultation and they do address the issues of access and quality to legal aid. They are as follows:
(1) Civil Credibility Impact Assessment
(2) Crime Credibility Impact Assessment
(3) Civil Fees Impact Assessment
(4) Crime Fees Impact Assessment
(5) Criminal Litigation Price Competition Impact Assessment.
They are all available to download from the consultation webpage which can be found here:
https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/transforming-legal-aid
Prisoners’ Release
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice who is responsible for the statutory post-release supervision of people who had been sentenced to periods of 12 months’ imprisonment. [158371]
Jeremy Wright: Probation trusts and youth offending teams are currently responsible for supervising offenders released from custody on licence. On 9 May we published “Transforming Rehabilitation: A Strategy for Reform”. Once these reforms are implemented, offenders released on licence will be supervised either by contracted rehabilitation providers or by the new national probation service.
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether people sentenced to less than 12 months' imprisonment and subsequently released are subject to licence conditions. [158372]
Jeremy Wright: Adult offenders who are sentenced to immediate custody for a period of less than 12 months are not subject to release on licence, apart from those who are released on home detention curfew prior to their automatic release date. Young adult offenders serving sentences of detention in a young offenders institute are subject to three months' supervision on licence following release. All young offenders serving detention and training orders are subject to supervision on licence when released.
On 9 May we published “Transforming Rehabilitation: A Strategy for Reform”, in which we set out our intention that all adult offenders leaving prison, including those sentenced to less than 12 months in custody, will now spend a minimum of 12 months being supervised and rehabilitated in the community. We have introduced provisions in the Offender Rehabilitation Bill to this effect.
Prisons: Employment
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the stated criteria for exemption from prisoner work are for people who are not earning under the Prisoner Earnings Act 1996. [156861]
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Jeremy Wright: Convicted prisoners can be compelled to work in accordance with Prison Rule 31. Increasing numbers of prisoners are working. Statistics published in June 2012 show that in 2010-11 public sector prisons delivered around 10.6 million prisoner working hours which increased to over 11.4 million hours in 2011-12.
Convicted prisoners who refuse to work do not receive any pay. Unconvicted prisoners can choose whether or not to work; if they do not work, they do not receive any pay. Prisoners of retirement age can choose not to apply for work. Prisoners who are short or long-term sick are not required to work while they are ill. We are changing the purpose of the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) scheme so that not only are prisoners expected to behave well, but they will also be expected to work towards their own rehabilitation and help other prisoners or staff. Part of this is delivered through work in prisons, but this is not the only purposeful activity prisoners must do. As part of their sentence plan they may be required to take part in education or specific treatment courses. To gain access to privileges while in prison, offenders will have to engage with purposeful activity outlined to them or they will stay on the basic level of the regime. This would mean they would have to wear prison clothes and would not have access to an in-cell television.
Prisons: Uniforms
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in which (a) publicly-run and (b) privately-run prisons prisoners are expected to wear a uniform at (i) entry level and (ii) any other times. [155180]
Jeremy Wright: We have announced an overhaul of the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) scheme which will require prisoners to engage positively in their own rehabilitation as well as complying fully with prison regimes.
The changes will apply to adult male prisoners aged 18 or over in all categories of prison, both private and publicly run.
Remand prisoners, and those newly convicted, will wear prison clothing during the 14-day entry level period.
All male prisoners aged 18 or over who are placed on the basic level of the IEP scheme, irrespective of the prison they are held in, will wear prison clothing while on the basic level.
All offenders returned to prison for breaching licence conditions will be placed on the entry level regardless of which level they had reached before release.
Probation
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how he plans to ensure public safety under his proposals for the outsourcing of probation services. [158483]
Jeremy Wright: On 9 May 2013, the Ministry of Justice published “Transforming Rehabilitation: a Strategy for Reform” that sets out the plans for transforming the way in which offenders are managed in the community in order to bring down reoffending rates.
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Every offender who poses a high risk of serious harm to the public will be managed by the new National Probation Service.
Clear expectations and standards for managing the risk of harm for both market providers and the National Probation Service will be set out in Service Level Agreements and contracts.
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how he plans to enable third sector providers to compete for probation services with the private sector under his proposals for the outsourcing of probation services. [158484]
Jeremy Wright: On 9 May, the Ministry of Justice published “Transforming Rehabilitation: a Strategy for Reform” which sets out the plans for transforming the way in which offenders are managed in the community in order to bring down reoffending rates.
Our reforms will open up delivery of probation services to a far wider range of potential providers—this includes the voluntary and community sector. We have published the 3SC action plan to increase the capability of voluntary and community organisations to deliver payment by results contracts. We are running a two part, £500,000 grant to support VCS organisations to overcome the barriers to their participation in the rehabilitation reforms.
We will assess bids and put in place market stewardship arrangements so smaller voluntary and community organisations can play their part in delivering rehabilitative services under fair and sustainable arrangements.
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how he plans to retain sufficiently qualified and professional staff in the public sector under his proposals for the outsourcing of probation services. [158485]
Jeremy Wright: On 9 May 2013, the Ministry of Justice published “Transforming Rehabilitation: a Strategy for Reform” which sets out the plans for transforming the way in which offenders are managed in the community in order to bring down reoffending rates.
Roles within the new National Probation Service will require a range of skills. Public sector probation staff will be responsible for managing those offenders who pose the highest risk to the public. The Probation Qualifications Framework—which sets out the range of roles to be performed in the rehabilitation and management of offenders—will form the basis of competency standards for the National Probation Service. We will be working with the probation profession to take forward the idea of an Institute of Probation, to recognise and spread best practice.
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how he plans to assess the success of his proposals for the outsourcing of probation services. [158486]
Jeremy Wright: On 9 May 2013, the Ministry of Justice published “Transforming Rehabilitation: a Strategy for Reform” that sets out the plans for transforming the way in which offenders are managed in the community in order to drive down reoffending rates.
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Providers will only be paid in full for real reductions in reoffending; their success will be measured through robust contracts that drive the right behaviours and generate value for money.
By extending rehabilitation to more offenders, opening up rehabilitation services to a more diverse range of providers, and paying providers by results to help offenders turn their lives around our reforms will make a real difference to the rehabilitation offenders receive in practice and we seek to achieve year-on-year reductions in reoffending.
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how contractors will be incentivised under his proposals for the outsourcing of probation services. [158487]
Jeremy Wright: On 9 May, the Ministry of Justice published “Transforming Rehabilitation: a Strategy for Reform” which sets out the plans for transforming the way in which offenders are managed in the community in order to bring down reoffending rates.
Our reforms will introduce new payment incentives for market providers to focus relentlessly on reforming offenders, giving providers flexibility to do what works and freedom from bureaucracy, but only paying them in full for real reductions in reoffending.
Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures; and what guidance he has given to his Department's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies on implementation of that Act. [154536]
Jeremy Wright: In line with other Government Departments the MOJ Procurement Directorate issued Cabinet Office guidance regarding Public Services (Social Value) Act to MOJ commissioning teams and procurement staff.
The guidance recommends that, before the procurement process begins, commissioners and procurers need to consider what is to be procured, its relevance, and how it may improve social, environmental and economic well-being of areas in England and Wales.
Public Transport: Damage
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to ensure that those convicted of criminal damage on or against public transport are (a) liable for the cost of repairs and (b) responsible for aiding the repairs as part of any sentence; and if he will make a statement. [157723]
Jeremy Wright:
Tough sentences are available for those convicted of criminal damage with a maximum sentence of up to 10 years' custody. Provisions in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 place a stronger duty on the courts to consider ordering offenders to pay compensation to their victims, including the cost of repairs to public transport, but this must take into account an offender's means. Compulsory unpaid work is one of the potential requirements of a Community or Suspended Sentence
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Order handed down by the courts. This is general reparation to the community rather than work which specifically corrects the damage which the offender may have done.
Repossession Orders: Yorkshire and the Humber
Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many homes were repossessed in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (b) East Yorkshire and (c) Yorkshire and Humber in each of the last five years. [157964]
Mrs Grant: The information requested is not available. The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the total number of repossessions as these can occur without a court order, such as where borrowers hand the keys back to the lender. Our figures only include repossessions carried out by county court bailiffs.
Surveillance
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consideration he has given to strengthening the penalties available for use against public officials guilty of abusing powers enabled by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. [158143]
James Brokenshire: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Department.
There are existing penalties on the statute book that can be used to penalise any such offence, including those under the Data Protection Act 1998 or the offence of misconduct in public office. Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) the unlawful interception of communications is a criminal offence punishable on indictment by up to two years imprisonment, a fine or both.
In addition, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (Monetary Penalty Notice and Consents for Interceptions) Regulations 2011 created a new civil sanction for certain kinds of unlawful interception of electronic communications not already covered by the criminal offence of intercepting without lawful authority.
The regulations empower the Interception of Communications Commissioner to issue monetary penalty notices to offenders and to enforce them in court. The Interception of Communications Commissioner, Chief Surveillance Commissioner and Intelligence Services Commissioner keep public authority use of RIPA under continual review.
As part of the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Draft Communications Data Bill, the Joint Committee on the Draft Bill looked carefully at the specific issue of abuse of access to communications data by those in public office. In his evidence to that Committee, the then Interception of Communications Commissioner made clear that there is little or no evidence of wilful or reckless misuse of powers to acquire communications data under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. The Committee recommended that there should be a specific offence relating to communications data and the Government are considering this matter at present, as part of our wider work on proposals relating to the investigation of crime in cyberspace.
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Transport
Administration
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimate his Department has made of likely expenditure on administration in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158223]
(2) what the Driving Standards Agency budgeted or estimated expenditure for administration is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158236]
(3) what the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency budgeted or estimated expenditure for administration is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158240]
(4) what the Highways Agency budgeted or estimated expenditure for administration is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158244]
(5) what the Maritime and Coastguard Agency budgeted or estimated expenditure for administration is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158248]
(6) what the Vehicle and Operator Service Agency budgeted or estimated expenditure for administration is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158252]
(7) what the Vehicle Certification Agency budgeted or estimated expenditure for administration is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158256]
(8) what the British Transport Police Authority budgeted or estimated expenditure for administration is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158260]
(9) what the Northern Lighthouse Board budgeted or estimated expenditure for administration is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158264]
(10) the Passenger Focus budgeted or estimated expenditure for administration is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158268]
(11) the Trinity House (Lighthouse) budgeted or estimated expenditure for administration is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158272]
(12) what administration budget he has allocated for work formerly done by the Railway Heritage Committee for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [158276]
Norman Baker: The Departmental Group Administration budgets are given in the table below.
| £000 | ||
| 2013-14 | 2014-15 | |
| (1) General Lighthouse Fund, encompassing Trinity House and Northern Lighthouse Board. (2) Passenger Focus figure for 2014-15 is an indicative forecast. | ||
There are no administration budgets for the following agencies and arm's length bodies as their total expenditure is classified as Programme.
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British Transport Police Authority
Vehicle Certification Agency
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
Vehicle and Operator Service Agency and Driving Standards Agency are Trading Funds and are not consolidated in the Departmental Group.
The Department has not allocated any budget for work formerly done by the Railway Heritage Committee. The Committee's powers were transferred to the Board of Trustees of the Science Museum on 1 April 2013 which is overseen by the Department for Culture Media and Sport.
Budgets for 2015-16 are subject to the 2013 Spending Round which is currently underway.
Advertising
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's budgeted or estimated expenditure on advertising is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [158230]
Norman Baker: Advertising media may form part of a communications campaign or other budgeted activity but such a decision will be based on evidence of its value for money and subject to approval through the appropriate authority under the Efficiency and Reform Group expenditure controls. For this reason, advertising media expenditure is not usually explicitly identified within current or future year budget plans.
It is expected that road safety communication campaigns will be the majority of advertising media expenditure in 2013-14. This financial year the THINK! Road Safety campaign has run a motorcycling campaign with an advertising media spend of approximately £1.055 million and a summer drink drive campaign which has a planned media spend of approximately £559,000.
The Highways Agency currently has no plans for advertising media expenditure in 2013-14 and has made an initial estimate of £0.8 million for public information advertising on Dartford freeflow charging in 2014-15.
Statutory public notice advertising costs, incurred by the central Department and the Highways Agency, are currently estimated to be £1.9 million in 2013-14 and a similar value in 2014-15.
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's expenditure on advertising was in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13. [158422]
Norman Baker: Expenditure on advertising media by the Department and its Executive Agencies for the financial years 2010/11 to 2012/13 is as follows:
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The central Department's non-statutory advertising media expenditure is almost exclusively in support of THINK! Road Safety campaigns.
British Transport Police Authority
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the British Transport Police Authority budgeted or estimated expenditure for headquarters and other office costs is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [158259]
Mr Simon Burns: The estimated expenditure for the British Transport Police Authority headquarters and other office costs is as follows:
| £000 | |
Budgets for 2015-16 are subject to the 2013 Spending Round which is currently underway.
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many members of staff at the British Transport Police Authority are paid over £100,000 per annum. [158261]
Mr Simon Burns: There are currently two members of staff at the authority who are paid over £100,000 per annum. This is based on total pay including base salary, taxable benefits, benefits in kind and pensionable allowances.
The annualised full-time rate for authority members is also above the £100,000 threshold.
Buildings
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of likely expenditure for headquarters and other office costs in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [158222]
Norman Baker: The accommodation and running costs budget for the Department for Transport headquarters in 2013-14 and 2014-15 is estimated to be approximately £16m.
Budgets for 2015-16 are subject to the 2013 Spending Round which is currently underway.
Maria Eagle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the name is of each building or office space leased or rented by his Department and its agencies in each of the last five years; and what the
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lease or rental costs for each such property has been in each such year. [158289]
Norman Baker: Information about the land and buildings leased or rented by the Department is published on the data.gov.uk website and is available from the following link:
http://data.gov.uk/dataset/epims
Information on the lease and rental costs of individual properties is not centrally recorded in the format requested and this could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
However, the Department does publish information on the running costs of certain occupied administrative offices as part of the annual Cabinet Office Property Benchmarking programme. Further information is available on the Data.Gov website.
Crossrail Line
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to ensure that contractors on the Crossrail project are not involved in blacklisting construction workers involved in trade union or health and safety activities. [157894]
Stephen Hammond: Crossrail Ltd, which is responsible for the delivery of the Crossrail project and the management of its contractors, requires all companies working on the project to comply with the law, which includes compliance with the Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010.
Crossrail Ltd has informed the Department that it has received assurances from all its principle contractors that none have engaged in any blacklisting activity in connection with the Crossrail project.
Cycling
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what his Department's plans are for the future funding of measures to encourage cycling; [157829]
(2) how much his Department has allocated in each year since 2010 to ensure that roads are designed and built to include more cycle-friendly areas; and how much such funding is planned for each year up to 2015 for which figures are available. [157853]
Norman Baker: The Department provides significant amounts of funding through the Integrated Transport block for local transport authorities to support small scale initiatives, including cycling schemes. This funding is not ring fenced and offers local authorities the freedom to develop and implement solutions which best suit their localities.
In addition, in the past year we have allocated £107 million of new money to support safety and community links that encourage more cycling. This funding is through to 2015 and is over and above the £600 million Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) where 94 out of the 96 projects contain a cycling element. Again this funding is through to 2015.
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As part of the £107 million we have invited cities outside London and National Parks to bid for a share of a £42 million Cycle Ambition Grant. Cities are required to demonstrate local leadership and set out a 10 year ambition for more cycling. Successful bids will receive a cycling budget equivalent to £10 per head. National Parks have been asked to develop schemes to improve cycling facilities to help support cycling as a fun and healthy activity. We will announce the successful bids shortly.
The Department has produced guidance for local authorities on providing for cyclists in Cycle Infrastructure Design (Local Transport Note 2/08) which can be found at:
http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/local-transport-notes/ltn-2-08.pdf
Guidance on providing for cyclists on the trunk road network is available in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, Volume 5, Section 2, Part 4, TA 91/05 Provision for Non-Motorised Users at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/ha/standards/dmrb/vol5/section2/ta9105.pdf
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department takes to incorporate the needs of cyclists at the early stage of new development schemes; and whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to require that the needs of cyclists be taken account of in such schemes. [157830]
Norman Baker: The Government is committed to an expansion of cycling. The National Planning Policy Framework includes the promotion of cycling. The Government is in the process of revising its planning for transport guidance documents (Travel Plans & Transport Assessments/ Statements). These will set out more clearly our recommendations for how local authorities should consider active transport, including cycling, in any new development.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency budgeted or estimated expenditure for headquarters and other office costs is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [158239]
Stephen Hammond: The estimated expenditure for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's headquarters and other office costs is as follows:
| £ | |
Budgets for 2015-16 are subject to the 2013 spending round which is currently under way.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Databases
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions companies have been suspended from accessing the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency database. [157802]
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Stephen Hammond: Records held since 2006 show 447 companies and organisations have been suspended from receiving information from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's ‘vehicle keeper’ register. Information about suspension from the ‘driver licence’ register is only held from 2012. Since that time 14 companies and organisations have been suspended.
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the protection of privacy in the rules governing access to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency database. [157803]
Stephen Hammond: A ministerial review of processes for the disclosure of vehicle data was carried out in 2006. Two subsequent reviews were carried out by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in 2009 and 2012. The routine disclosure of both driver and vehicle data is subject to conditions set out in Memorandums of Understanding with other Government Departments, and contracts with private sector third parties. Clauses on security, data transfer, audit and inspection are included.
Driving Offences: Insurance
Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on the number of uninsured cars seized in each of the last five years in (a) Corby constituency, (b) Northamptonshire and (c) the UK. [158044]
Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold this information.
Driving Standards Agency
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Driving Standards Agency budgeted or estimated expenditure for headquarters and other office costs is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [158235]
Stephen Hammond: The accommodation and running costs budget for 2013-14 and 2014-15 for the Driving Standards Agency headquarters and other office costs are estimated to be £2,529,000.
Budgets for 2015-16 are subject to the 2013 spending round which is currently under way.
Driving: Licensing
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the first time transactional success rate for photocard driving licences applied for in person at post offices is compared with those done by applicant-provided photograph by post or online. [157806]
Stephen Hammond: The first time success rate for photocard licence applications is shown in the following table:
| Channel | Success rate (percentage) |
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Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the quality requirements of the photographs used for photocard driving licences are; and what proportion of postal and online driving licence applications were rejected due to poor quality or inappropriate photographs provided by the applicant in each of the last three years. [157810]
Stephen Hammond: Photographs must satisfy the same high standard as those required for passports, e.g. must be printed professionally and meet the size and quality specification.
As the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency does not differentiate between the reasons for rejecting driving licence applications there are no figures available for failing to meet the photograph standard. Online transactions use photograph images from the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) database. As these will have already satisfied the IPS quality checks before being entered on the database, there are no rejects due to poor quality photographs.
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Government's timetable is for the phasing out of the paper portion of the UK driving licence. [157811]
Stephen Hammond: The Government are committed to abolishing the driving licence counterpart by 2015.
Empty Property
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the location is of each unused or empty office space or building owned or leased by his Department and its agencies; and what the size in square feet is of each such property. [158280]
Norman Baker: Information about the vacant office space or buildings owned or leased by the Department is published on the data.gov.uk website and is available from the following link:
http://data.gov.uk/dataset/epims
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the rental or leasing value of the unused or empty office space or buildings owned or being leased by his Department or its agencies per square foot. [158288]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport aims to hold only core property (i.e. which is needed for the delivery of its business). All non-core property (unless it is held pending transport scheme use) will be disposed or re-allocated at the earliest opportunity in a way which is both consistent with official guidance and achieves value for money.
Information about the vacant office space or buildings owned or leased by the Department is published on the data.gov.uk website and is available from the following link:
http://data.gov.uk/dataset/epims
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The Department does not centrally record the rental or leasing value of the office space or building it owns or leases and obtaining the requested data for the element relating to vacant space would incur disproportionate cost.
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects HS2 Ltd to complete and publish the research it commissioned in August 2012 into the potential effect of High Speed 2 on regional economies. [158578]
Mr Simon Burns: HS2 Ltd is taking forward a programme of work to assess how HS2 will impact on the economy at the national and regional level. This will provide a deeper understanding of how HS2 might interact with land use, business investment, jobs and growth.
This work will inform the next update to the business case for HS2 and HS2 Ltd aims to publish the research later this year to support the Phase 2 consultation and the passage of the hybrid Bill.
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who the members of the High Speed Rail programme board are. [158579]
Mr Simon Burns: The High Speed Rail (HSR) programme board is chaired by David Prout, DFT director-general for High Speed Rail. In addition to the chair, board membership comprises:
Douglas Oakervee, chair of HS2 Ltd;
Alison Munro, CEO of HS2 Ltd;
Martin Capstick, director of HS2 Policy, Legislation, and Funding;
Jonathan Sharrock, director of HS2 Strategy and Engagement;
Becky Wood, (acting) director of HS2 Project Sponsorship, Commercial and Technical;
Stephen Park, DFT Group Finance (interim) director;
Nick Bisson, Rail Strategy and Finance director;
Joe Grice, DFT chief economist;
Nick Joyce, director of Commercial and Technical Services;
one nominated official from HM Treasury;
one nominated official from Infrastructure UK; and
the HS2 Project Representative.
Other officials attend by invitation for specific items of business.
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the report commissioned by HS2 Ltd from the companies Sinclair Knight Merz and Jacobs into the High Speed 2 modelling framework. [158580]
Mr Simon Burns: HS2 Ltd have commissioned Sinclair Knight Merz and Jacobs to independently audit the HS2 Ltd modelling framework. This independent audit provides assurance for the next update to the HS2 Economic Case and HS2 Ltd aims to publish this report.
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Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has to analyse the effect of premium pricing on forecast (a) passenger demand, (b) revenues and (c) benefit to cost ratios for High Speed 2; and if he will make a statement. [158595]
Mr Simon Burns: The Economic Case for HS2 and associated forecasts of demand and revenue currently assume that the structure of high speed fares are comparable to the existing network. The Department, working closely with HS2 Ltd, is considering the potential benefits that could be secured from more sophisticated pricing policies across both the HS2 and classic networks.
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to reach a decision on how rolling stock for phase one of High Speed 2 will be financed. [158596]
Mr Simon Burns: HS2 rolling stock is not due to come into service until late 2026. No decision on rolling stock procurement and financing has yet been taken. The Department will decide how the trains will be funded in due course.
Highways Agency
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Highways Agency budgeted or estimated expenditure for headquarters and other office costs is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [158243]
Stephen Hammond: The estimated expenditure for the Highways Agency headquarters and other office costs is as follows:
| £ million | |
Budgets for 2015-16 are subject to the 2013 spending round which is currently under way.
Information Officers
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many members of staff have worked in his Department on media and communications matters in each year since May 2010. [158225]
Norman Baker: The estimated full time equivalent (FTE) number of staff who worked on communications activities, which includes internal communications, website and other digital communications, strategic communications and planning, marketing and public information campaigns and partnerships, publishing, speechwriting, news media and press work for the financial years 2010/11 to 2012/13 is as follows:
| Staff full time equivalent numbers | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 |
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| (1) DSA figures are as at 31 May in each year. (2) DVLA figure for 2012/13 reflects a re-alignment of roles across the organisation and the figure for 2010/11 can only be provided at disproportionate cost. (3) GCDA ceased to be an agency on 30 September 2012. (4) HA figures are as at 31 March 2010, 30 September 2011 and 1 January 2013. (5 )MCA figures relate to posts, actual staff numbers can only be provided at disproportionate cost. (6) VOSA figure for 2012/13 is for 1 January 2013. | |||
The estimated 167.3, full time equivalent, staff employed on communications activities in the Department and its Executive Agencies in 2012/13 is a 30% reduction on the 240.1 FTE estimated for 2009/10 and provided in my answer to the Rt. Hon. Member for Angus on 10 February 2011 [Official Report, column 408W].
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Maritime and Coastguard Agency budgeted or estimated expenditure for headquarters and other office costs is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [158247]
Stephen Hammond: The accommodation and running costs budget for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency headquarters is as follows:
| £ | |
Budgets for 2015-16 are subject to the 2013 spending round which is currently under way.
Mass Media
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's budgeted or estimated expenditure on media and communications is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [158229]
Norman Baker:
Communications expenditure may arise as part of a project or programme and corporate plans do not seek to indentify all communications expenditure separately. Corporate communications functions do not necessarily align with budget boundaries, particularly in the Executive Agencies where some do not have dedicated communications resources. For this
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reason, it is not possible to comprehensive estimates for communications expenditure for current and future years.
The central Department's Group Communications Directorate administration budget for 2013-14 is £4.282 million. Group Communications' activities include internal communications, website and other digital communications, strategic communications and planning, marketing and public information campaigns and partnerships, publishing, speechwriting, news media and press work.
Group Communications' 2013-14 programme resource is £3.91 million of which £3.75 million is allocated to THINK! Road Safety campaigns and £160,000 is allocated to digital customer communications on our public and business facing services.
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on media and communications in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13. [158360]
Norman Baker: The cost of communications which includes internal communications, website and other digital communications, strategic communications and planning, marketing and public information campaigns and partnerships, publishing, speechwriting, news media and press work and associated staff costs for the Department and its Executive Agencies for the financial year 2012/13 is, on a like for like basis, 76% less than the £63.1m recorded for 2009-10.
| £ million | |||
| Cost of Communications | |||
| (a) 2010/11 | (b) 2011/12 | (c) 2012/13 | |
| (1) Statutory public notice advertising costs for the central Department of £19k for 2010/11 and £496k for 2011/12 are included in the figures above. The 2012/13 cost of £398k is not included above. (2) The Highways Agency figures do not include statutory public notice advertising costs of £1.90m, £1.25m, and £1.31m for 2010/11, 2011/12 and 2012/13 respectively. (3) The Vehicle Certification Agency was not included in the. 2009/10 or 2012/13 Operational Efficiency Programme costs but figures have been provided here for completeness. | |||
Estimates for 2010-11 and 2011-12 were compiled for inclusion in Quarterly Data Summaries published by the Department and the 2012/13 estimate was prepared using definitions from the Operational Efficiency Programme.
Ministerial Policy Advisers
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what his Department's expenditure on special adviser salaries was in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; [158227]
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(2) what his Department's budgeted or estimated expenditure on special adviser salaries is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [158232]
Norman Baker: Details of special advisers’ pay-bands and salaries are published quarterly and can be accessed via the following link;.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-adviser-data-releases-numbers-and-costs
The latest quarterly information will be published in due course.
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's expenditure on special adviser travel by each mode of transport was in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13. [158228]
Norman Baker: Prior to 2012, the Department did not record expenditure on each individual mode of transport separately. As a result, the only figures available are those for 2012-13. However, the total expenditure for 2010-11 and 2011-12 is available and these figures are presented in the following table. By way of comparison, a total of £9,821 was spent in 2009-10.
| £ | |||
| Mode of transport | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 |
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's budgeted or estimated expenditure on special adviser travel is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [158233]
Norman Baker: The Department's budgeted expenditure on Special Adviser Travel for 2013-14 is £2800. The budgets for 2014-15 and 2015-16 have not yet been agreed.
Mobile Phones
Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which company holds the largest contract to provide mobile telephony services to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency; how much is paid each year under that contract; how many individual services are covered by the contract; when the contract was awarded; and (a) when and (b) how the contract will next be renewed. [158111]
Stephen Hammond: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has contracts with two mobile phone companies, Vodafone and Orange, which provide telephony services. Over the last four financial years the MCA has spent:
| £ | ||
| Financial year | Vodafone | Orange |
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The MCA currently has 1,350 devices providing a service, 930 with Vodafone and 420 with Orange.
Both the Vodafone and Orange contracts were signed up to using a Government Procurement Service (GPS) Framework Agreement.
The framework began on 27 June 2012 and will be renewed on 1 July 2014, again using GPS frameworks.
Motorways: Safety
Mary Macleod: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent work his Department has undertaken to prevent road traffic accidents on major motorways. [158303]
Stephen Hammond: Motorways in the UK are some of the safest roads in the world. The introduction of Controlled and Managed Motorways to reduce congestion have delivered safety benefits. They achieve better driver behaviour in terms of lane discipline and speed compliance.
The Department and its agencies also include road safety messages, where appropriate, in communication activity throughout the year, to influence and improve road user behaviour on motorways.
Northern Lighthouse Board
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the Northern Lighthouse Board budgeted or estimated expenditure for headquarters and other office costs is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158263]
(2) what the Trinity House (Lighthouse) budgeted or estimated expenditure for headquarters and other office costs is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [158271]
Stephen Hammond: The budgets of the General Lighthouse Authorities are agreed annually, and are funded from the General Lighthouse Fund. Therefore, resources have not as yet been allocated to Trinity House or the Northern Lighthouse Board for 2014-15 or 2015-16.
The General Lighthouse Authorities' corporate plans use a standard set of expenditure groupings consistent with General Lighthouse Fund requirements. A breakdown between headquarters and other office costs is not readily available, however office accommodation forms part of the total for finance, support and headquarters, accounting subheading.
Trinity House has a budget of £5,112,000 for finance, support and headquarters in 2013-14, and the Northern Lighthouse Board £3,123,000.
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many members of staff at the Northern Lighthouse Board are paid over £100,000 per annum; [158265]
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(2) how many members of staff at Trinity House (Lighthouse) are paid over £100,000 per annum. [158273]
Stephen Hammond: There are no employees at the Northern Lighthouse Board whose basic salary exceeds £100,000. At Trinity House only one employee has a basic salary exceeding £100,000.
Passenger Focus
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Passenger Focus budgeted or estimated expenditure for headquarters and other office costs is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [158267]
Mr Simon Burns: The requested information is as follows:
| £ | |||
| 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | |
The office costs above represent rent, rates, service charge, and utilities for the offices Passenger Focus occupy. All payments are to other Government Departments, as Passenger Focus only occupy accommodation on the Government estate.
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many members of staff at Passenger Focus are paid over £100,000 per annum. [158269]
Mr Simon Burns: Passenger Focus has one member of staff who is paid over £100,000 a year.
Pay
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many officials in his Department are paid over £100,000 per annum; [158224]
(2) how many members of staff at the Driving Standards Agency are paid over £100,000 per annum; [158237]
(3) how many members of staff at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency are paid over £100,000 per annum; [158241]
(4) how many members of staff at the Highways Agency are paid over £100,000 per annum; [158245]
(5) how many members of staff at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency are paid over £100,000 per annum; [158249]
(6) how many members of staff at the Vehicle and Operator Service Agency are paid over £100,000 per annum; [158253]
(7) how many members of staff at the Vehicle Certification Agency are paid over £100,000 per annum. [158257]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport and its six Executive Agencies has 35 employees who are paid more than £100,000 per annum. The location of the staff is shown in the table below.
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| No. of staff paid more than £100,000 per annum | |
Procurement
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) which major projects undertaken by his Department are rated at (a) green, (b) green/amber and (c) amber; [158281]
(2) what the budget is of each major project being undertaken by his Department which is rated at (a) green, (b) green/amber, (c) amber, (d) amber/red and (e) red; [158282]
(3) how much has been spent to date on each major project being undertaken by his Department; [158283]
(4) what the name is of each capital project being undertaken by his Department not classed as a major project; and what the (a) budget and (b) traffic light status is of each such project; [158284]
(5) how much his Department has spent to date on each active project not classed as a major project; [158285]
(6) by what period in years and months each overdue major project being undertaken by his Department has exceeded (a) the original planned delivery timetable and (b) any revised delivery timetable; [158286]
(7) by what period in years and months each overdue project being undertaken by his Department and not classified as a major project has exceeded (a) the original planned delivery timetable and (b) any revised delivery timetable. [158287]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport publishes information on its major projects, including data on traffic light ratings, delivery against timetable, budgets and actual spend, in the Government Major Projects Portfolio. This can be found in the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-major-projects-portfolio-data-for-dft-2013
The Department does not currently gather central data on projects which are not classified as 'major'. However, a project management portfolio office is currently being developed within the Department to gather financial, milestone and traffic light information about non-major projects. It will focus on high priority, high risk projects in the first instance, with a view to expanding further to wider project tiers across the Department.
Property
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) land is and (b) buildings are owned by his Department and its agencies; and what the most recently assessed market value is of each. [158279]
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Norman Baker: Information about the land and buildings owned by the Department for Transport is published on the data.gov.uk website. The information requested is available from the following link:
http://data.gov.uk/dataset/epims
Information on the market value of property is not centrally recorded and this information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Public Expenditure
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what budget he has allocated to the Driving Standards Agency for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158234]
(2) what budget he has allocated to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158238]
(3) what budget he has allocated to the Highways Agency for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158242]
(4) what budget he has allocated to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158246]
(5) what budget he has allocated to the Vehicle and Operator Service Agency for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158250]
(6) what budget he has allocated to the Vehicle Certification Agency for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158254]
(7) what budget he has allocated to the British Transport Police Authority for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158258]
(8) what budget he has allocated to the Northern Lighthouse Board for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158262]
(9) what budget he has allocated to Passenger Focus for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158266]
(10) what budget he has allocated to Trinity House (Lighthouse) for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; [158270]
(11) what total budget he has allocated for the work formerly done by the Railway Heritage Committee for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [158274]
Norman Baker: The Departmental for Transport Group budgets are given in the following table:
| £ million | ||
| 2013-14 | 2014-15 | |
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| (1) British Transport Police and British Transport Police Authority are treated as one entity in the Department's accounts, as advised by the National Audit Office. (2) General Lighthouse Fund, encompassing Trinity House and Northern Lighthouse Board. | ||
Vehicle and Operator Service Agency and Driving Standards Agency are Trading Funds and are not consolidated in the Departmental Group.
The Public Bodies (Abolition of the Railway Heritage Committee) Order 2013 abolished the Railway Heritage Committee on 1 April 2013 and transferred its powers to the Board of Trustees of the Science Museum which is overseen by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Department has not allocated a budget in any of these years for the work formerly done by the Railway Heritage Committee.
Budgets for 2014-15 are indicative.
Budgets for 2015-16 are subject to the 2013 Spending Round which is currently under way.
Railway Heritage Committee
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Railway Heritage Committee will have any ongoing headquarters or other office costs for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [158275]
Mr Simon Burns: The Railway Heritage Committee was abolished on 1 April 2013 and does not have any ongoing headquarters or other office costs.
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many members of staff of his Department are working on the functions previously carried out by the Railway Heritage Committee. [158277]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department does not have any members of staff working on the functions previously carried out by the Railway Heritage Committee.
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many members of staff working on the functions previously carried out by the Railway Heritage Committee are paid over £100,000 per annum. [158278]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has no staff working on the functions previously carried out by the Railway Heritage Committee.
Railway Stations
Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding has been allocated from the New Stations Fund; and whether he plans to make further awards from the New Stations Fund. [158799]
Mr Simon Burns:
Funding from the New Stations Fund has been awarded to four stations at Newcourt in Devon, Ilkeston in Derbyshire, Lea Bridge in the London borough of Waltham Forest, and Pye Corner near
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Newport, totalling around £8.6 million. The strong case for a station at Kenilworth was noted, therefore we are minded to provide funding of £5 million towards this new station, subject to the new station's integration into the programme of wider improvement works in the area, which are set out in Network Rail's Strategic Business Plan published in January 2013. The evaluation of one of the bids received continues, so there is the possibility of a further award.
Railways: EU Law
Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have met the European Commission to discuss the Fourth Railway Package in the last 12 months. [158971]
Mr Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport attended a Transport Council meeting on 11 March to discuss the technical pillar of the package. In addition officials have met with the Commission to discuss this pillar on the following dates: 24 and 26 of September 2012; in 2013: 26 February; 1, 19 and 26 of March; 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 23, 29 April; 7, 8, 14, 23 and 27 of May; and 3 June.
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether in its negotiations on the European Commission's Fourth Railway Package, his Department will seek to ensure that alliances and other forms of joint working between Network Rail and train operators are not prohibited or unduly restricted by EU legislation. [158988]
Mr Simon Burns: Yes. We are concerned that the way that the European Commission's proposals are formulated may prohibit certain types of alliance including those between Network Rail and railway undertakings and joint working arrangements such as integrated control centres and performance improvement projects. We will continue to engage with the European Commission and Parliament and with other member states to ensure our concerns are addressed in the final proposals.
Rescue Services
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what support his Department gives to mountain rescue teams. [158984]
Stephen Hammond: The Government provide financial support allocating £200,000 per annum to the three UK mountain rescue organisations for the four-year period 2011-12 to 2014-15. The breakdown for the current financial year is as follows:
£64,000 is allocated to the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland;
£128,000 is allocated to Mountain Rescue England and Wales; and
£8,000 is allocated to Mountain Rescue Northern Ireland.
Roads: Lighting
Andy Sawford:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2013, Official Report, column 538W, on roads: lighting, if his
10 Jun 2013 : Column 118W
Department will conduct an assessment of the effects of turning off street lights on the fear of crime, on emergency services and on social activities. [158045]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has no current plans to conduct any such assessment. It is the responsibility of each local authority to consider what effect turning off street lights will be for the area which they are responsible. We would advise that any authority works closely with the emergency services, community safety and other key partners when considering their street lighting needs.
Shipping: Conditions of Employment
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate has been made of the annual budget required by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to enforce the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) on (a) UK flagged vessels and (b) non-UK flagged vessels working out of UK ports after the MLC comes into force in August 2013. [157859]
Stephen Hammond: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) will enforce the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 within existing budgets. The MCA has published estimated costs of:
(i) survey and certification of UK ships of 500GT and over operating on international voyages; and
(ii) inspections of UK ships of between 200GT and 500.GT operating internationally
in the impact assessment (IA) attached to the draft Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Survey and Certification) Regulations, which was issued for public consultation in February 2013. The final IA will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament when the regulations are made. The regulations are currently being finalised post-consultation.
No estimate has been made of the cost of enforcing the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 on non-UK ships in UK ports, since this will be integrated into the existing port State control inspection regime.
No separate estimate has been made of the cost to the MCA of introducing a complaints procedure to help enforce the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 on UK ships and non-UK ships in UK ports. Existing arrangements to handle complaints from seafarers about their conditions of employment are well established although the number of such complaints each year is small. The Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 introduces some additional rights, but the extra costs associated with handling any increase in complaints as a result is expected to be marginal.
Shipping: Training
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to protect and enhance the maritime skills base; and when he last discussed this matter with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. [158192]
Stephen Hammond:
The maritime sector is an important contributor to the UK economy and we want to continue to see new cadets entering the industry and being trained to the highest standards. The UK sees seafarers as
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instrumental in supporting the UK maritime sector and we have a number of policies in place to help reverse the decline in UK seafarer numbers including Support for Maritime Training, Apprenticeships and a training requirement linked to the UK's tonnage tax regime. There is continuous dialogue on Maritime skills policy between officials at DFT, BIS and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
I hosted the first of a series of maritime round tables in March 2013, involving Ministers and senior representatives from DFT, BIS, Cabinet Office and the MCA together with industry champions from Maritime UK and the Lloyds Register. The focus of the round table was to discuss a joint strategic approach to Maritime, to enable continued growth of the sector and improved joint working on maritime affairs of which maritime skills was part of that discussion. The next is expected to be held in July.
Sign Language
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to ensure the services it offers are accessible to British Sign Language users. [157939]
Norman Baker: The Equality Act 2010 provides the protection which ensures disabled people, including British Sign Language users can access goods, facilities and services, by requiring that those with duties under the Act, make 'reasonable adjustments' so that their services and functions are accessible.
The Department for Transport takes its duties under the Act seriously. We ensure that we take account of the needs of all groups in developing our policies and delivering our services. For example, we provide written information in alternative formats such as Braille, disk, audio and large print where requested, and assess the impact of our proposals on accessibility for disabled people.
The Driving Standards Agency has worked closely with a number of external stakeholders over recent months to review delivery of the theory driving test. This showed that the Agency could improve accessibility for deaf or hard of hearing candidates. As a result, they are considering the viability of ‘readspeaker’ software and altering their use of British Sign Language to improve the consistency of dialects and images.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency currently has British Sign Language trained staff in some local offices in addition to a number of British Sign Language videos that have been made available on YouTube for deaf customers.
The Highways Agency offers Royal National Institute for the Deaf’s Typetalk tool on its website as a means of contact, enabling a textphone user to dial 18001 followed by the Agency's number. The call is diverted to a Typetalk Relay Assistant who will type exactly what is being said. The Agency's Emergency Roadside Telephones also have a texting facility built in allowing for text communication between road users and the regional control centres.
Where possible, the Vehicle Operator Services Agency will make reasonable adjustments for deaf or hard of hearing customers during court cases, public inquiries and training courses, using its language interpreter provision.
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VOSA examiners who carry out roadside checks and vehicle tests are fully aware of the need to ensure dialogue is understood, and will provide clear written statements during their encounters.
Speed Limits
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on signage when there are changes to speed limits. [157921]
Norman Baker: My Department issues guidance to local authorities on signing changes to speed limits in the Traffic Signs Manual Chapter 3.
These documents can be viewed on the DfT website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport
Travel
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's expenditure on civil service travel by each mode of transport was in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13. [158226]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport and its executive agencies’ expenditure on civil service travel by mode was:
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
| (1) In years 2010-11 and 2011-12, the central Department reported air, rail and taxi travel under the ‘non-specified’ row. Since 2012-13 monies spent by the central Department have been broken down by mode. This gives the appearance of a substantial increase in spending in this area but it is not the case. Notes: To provide a breakdown by mode for the central Department for 2010-11 and/or 2011-12 would incur disproportionate costs. 2. Most of VCA's travel costs are recharged to clients. These are the gross costs before recharge. 3. DSA does not record travel costs based on specific modes of transport. 4. MCA Car includes Taxi spend. 5. VOSA does not record travel costs at this level of detail. 6. GCDA has a nil return. | |||
Within the above totals, the total spent by the central Department in 2012-13 was £2,155,963. By way of comparison, the total amount spent in 2009-10 was £4,075,711.
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's budgeted or estimated expenditure on civil service travel is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [158231]
Norman Baker: The budgeted expenditure for Department for Transport and its six Executive Agencies on civil service travel for 2013-14 is in the table below. The budgets for 2014-15 and 2015-16 have not yet been agreed.
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| 2013-14 Budget (£) | |
| (1) Most of VCAs travel costs are recharged to clients. These are the gross costs before recharge. | |
By way of comparison, the actuals for the central Department in 2009-10 was £4,479,352.35.
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Vehicle and Operator Service Agency budgeted or estimated expenditure for headquarters and other office costs is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [158251]
Stephen Hammond: The accommodation and running costs budget for 2013-14 and 2014-15 for the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency headquarters is estimated to be £2.4 million.
Budgets for 2015-16 are subject to the 2013 spending round which is currently under way.
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency: North East
Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff were employed by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency in the north-east in each year since 2008. [157709]
Stephen Hammond: Vehicle and Operator Services Agency has employed the following number of staff at its sites in the north-east (based on the area governed by the North Eastern Traffic Commissioner), at Beverley, Darlington, Doncaster, Grimsby, Leeds (which includes the North Eastern TAO), Newcastle, Scarborough, Walton and Watnall:
| Financial year | Number of staff |
Vehicle Certification Agency
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Vehicle Certification Agency budgeted or estimated expenditure for headquarters and other office costs is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [158255]
Stephen Hammond: The accommodation and running costs budget for 2013-14 and 2014-15 for the Vehicle Certification Agency headquarters and other office costs is estimated to be approximately £647,000.
Future years' budgets are still subject to the 2013 spending review.
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Vetting
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that infrastructure projects for his Department are not delivered by firms involved in the blacklisting of construction workers. [157891]
Stephen Hammond: We would expect all companies regardless of whether they are working for Government or not to abide by the law including compliance with the Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010.
Education
Academic Year
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to alter the school calendar and school day; and if he will make a statement. [158530]
Elizabeth Truss: The Secretary of State has encouraged all schools to consider making changes to the school day and calendar. Schools and, where relevant, local authorities have the freedom to make changes to the school day and calendar as they see fit.
Academies
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the designated duties of academy brokers are; how many academy brokers are currently employed; what the daily rate of pay for such brokers is; and what the total expenditure of academy brokers was in the last year. [158108]
Mr Timpson: A copy of schedule one of the brokers' contracts detailing their duties has already been placed in the House Libraries and is a matter of public record.
The Department currently contracts with 37 brokers. It would not be appropriate to make brokers' day rates public as this would break contractual confidentiality and likely affect the Department's ability to continue to negotiate better value contracts in future. The day rates of academy brokers have been reduced significantly since 2010. Total expenditure on brokers for the last financial year was £4.4 million.
Brokers have been used throughout the Academies programme on similar contractual arrangements since 2004. Since May 2010, the Department has successfully negotiated cheaper rates with brokers, delivering greater value for money for taxpayers. Brokers have been instrumental in developing 496 sponsored academy solutions since September 2010; improving the education opportunities for thousands of children.