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8 Mar 2005 : Column WA73
Written Answers
Tuesday, 8 March 2005.
Drink Driving
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many individuals aged (a) under 18; and (b) over 18, were convicted of drink driving in London in each of the past eight years. [HL1426]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): The available information is contained in the table and gives the number of persons proceeded against and found guilty at all courts in the London area, 1996 to 2003 for offences related to drink driving.
Statistics on court proceedings for 2004 will be published in the autumn.
Number of persons proceeded against and found guilty at all courts for offences relating to drink driving 1 , London 1996 to 2003. 2
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1 These data are on the principal offence basis.
2 Combines Metropolitan and City of London Police force areas.
3 Offences under Road Traffic Act 1988, Sections 4(1), 4(2), 5(1)(a), 5(1)(b), 6(4) and 7(6).
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Prisoners: Secretarial Support
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many prisoners either convicted, on bail or on remand, have access to secretarial support or have been provided with a personal laptop, and at what cost. [HL1489]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The information cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost. No central records are held of the numbers of prisoners who are currently given secretarial support or issued with laptops, except for those issued with laptops for access to justice. Each prison governor has the discretion to allow prisoners access to information technology or secretarial support on application, which must be considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account need, benefits, relevant local security and resource management issues, to ensure that sufficient controls are in place.
However, 79 prisoners currently have access to a laptop in possession in-cell to assist with their legal defences, appeals or other legal work. The total cost for providing this facility for 2004-05 was about £60,000.
Gulf War Illnesses
Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 21 February (HL1083), what is the cost of informing Parliament of the legal and other costs
- they have incurred, year by year, in contesting war pension claims from veterans of the 1990–91 Gulf conflict, inclusive of costs of staff time; whether the decision to deem it "disproportionate" was taken by the Ministry of Defence alone or in consultation with the Gulf War veterans' organisations; and what elements of their total spending on contesting such claims could be provided to Parliament at proportionate cost. [HL1378]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach): The cost of providing the information requested has been estimated at over £25,000. In reaching this decision it was unnecessary to consult with Gulf War veterans' organisations.
Armed Forces: Transport Aircraft Airworthiness
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
What systematic assessment they have made of prospective metal fatigue as a determinant of safe in-service lives for military transport aircraft. [HL1412]
Lord Bach: Transport aircraft in service with the UK Armed Forces are designed and certified to strict airworthiness standards. These require the aircraft designer to specify the safe "in-service" life of each aircraft prior to the aircraft being released into service.
The structural integrity of the aircraft, which includes the fatigue life of the aircraft structure, is maintained by adherence to the procedures detailed within military airworthiness regulations.
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Devolution and Regional Assemblies: Electors in England
Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answers by the Baroness Ashton of Upholland on 23 February (WA 207) and the Lord Filkin on 23 February 2004 (WA 10), whether the absence or otherwise of a democratic deficit was a factor in their decision no longer to pursue elected regional assemblies. [HL1625]
The Minister of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Lord Rooker): The reasons why the Government decided not to introduce the Regional Assemblies Bill nor lay orders calling referendums in Yorkshire and the Humber and the north-west were set out in an oral Statement on 8 November 2004, (Official Report, col. 674-76), and the oral Statement made by my right honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister in the other place on 8 November 2004, (Official Report, Commons, col. 588-89).
Schools: Truancy in London
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Lord Filkin): We estimate that in 2003-04 on average on any one day, about 8,900 pupils were absent without prior approval from London schools. This equates to an unauthorised absence rate of 0.99 per cent.
Schools: Ofsted Report
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they intend to take following the publication on 22 February of an Ofsted report into literacy and numeracy standards at key stage 2 which found that schools were struggling to implement the wider aims of the primary national strategy, and that one in three lessons in mathematics and literacy were still no better than satisfactory. [HL1487]
Lord Filkin: Ofsted's report into literacy and numeracy standards published on the 22 February found a great deal to celebrate in our primary schools. The report draws attention to the significant improvements in attainment since the introduction of the national literacy and numeracy strategies, and makes clear that last year the quality of teaching and school leadership continued to improve.
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector's annual report found that around three quarters of primary teaching in mathematics is excellent or good, which compares to just half in 1997-98. The support offered to teachers through the primary national strategy (formerly the national literacy and numeracy strategies) has been
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critical in enabling this transformation. Of course we remain absolutely committed to providing every teacher with the knowledge and skills to ensure that their teaching progresses from satisfactory to good and excellent. Next year the national strategies will offer training in core aspects of literacy and numeracy through local authorities to around 12,000 teachers in English and 15,000 teachers in mathematics.
We also remain committed to supporting schools to implement fully the primary national strategy. We are providing targeted and intensive support to around 850 lower performing schools across the country, and 10 per cent of our most successful headteachers are supporting a further 4,700 schools on leadership and raising standards. The improvements in the past year in standards to the highest ever levels show the success of our approach.
University for Industry
Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much money has been spent to date on the University for Industry, including its operating arm learndirect, since its establishment. [HL1529]
Lord Filkin: Since its establishment in 1999 UfI, with its 7,000 learndirect and UK online centres, has firmly established itself as one of the biggest e-learning networks in the world, and is successfully making learning more accessible to individuals and businesses. A total of £326.1 million has been invested in creating and supporting this network to 31 July 2004.
On the basis of information provided by UfI, over 1.5 million learners have enrolled on learndirect courses and over 21 million people in the UK have received free, confidential and impartial advice on learning opportunities and career planning.
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