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Written Answers

Tuesday 7 October 2008

Buses: Roadworks

Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Traffic Management Act 2004 has reduced the impact of roadworks on bus operation. [HL5347]

The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Lord Adonis): In April, certain provisions of the Traffic Management Act 2004 and the associated regulations came into force. These increased local authorities' powers to direct when works by statutory undertakers may take place and where apparatus may be placed, as well as allowing authorities to operate a permit scheme, with the Secretary of State for Transport’s approval, to control all works in the highway.

The Department for Transport has commissioned an assessment of the impact of certain parts of the Traffic Management Act 2004 on congestion for all road users, which is due to be completed in summer 2010.

The department regularly monitors the punctuality of bus services. The latest figures from Bus Punctuality Statistics GB: 2007, available in the Libraries of the House, show some improvements in performance in England (outside London) since the last survey in 2005. However, it is not possible to draw a link between the introduction of the Traffic Management Act 2004 and improved punctuality, as the survey was not designed for this purpose.

Civil Service: Women

Baroness Miller of Hendon asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many women are members of the senior Civil Service (SCS) in each government department; and what percentage of each department's total number of members of the SCS that represents. [HL5200]

Lord Davies of Oldham: The number of women in the senior Civil Service (SCS) in each government department and the percentage of the total number of each department's SCS who are women (as at October 2007) are set out in the following table:

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Current department	Number of Women	% of Senior Civil Servants
Assets Recovery Agency	1	33
Cabinet Office	54	35
Central Office of Information	4	31
Charity Commission	5	42
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service	14	40
Crown Prosecution Service	12	36
Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform	62	32
Department for Children, Schools and Families	46	42
Department for Communities and Local Government	68	48
Department for Culture, Media and Sport	8	24
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	51	27
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills	15	29
Department for International Development	34	36
Department for Transport	44	24
Department for Work and Pensions	107	37
Department of Health	154	40
Estyn (HM Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales)	4	100
Export Credits Guarantee Department	2	14
Food Standards Agency	14	38
Foreign and Commonwealth Office	12	30
Government Communications Headquarters	5	13
Government Offices for The Regions	31	47
Health and Safety Executive	12	24
HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate	1	33
HM Revenue and Customs	106	25
HM Treasury	35	32
Home Office	54	30
Land Registry	11	32
Ministry of Defence	28	11
Ministry of Justice	77	34
National Archives	3	50
National Savings and Investments	2	22
National School of Government	6	55
NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA)	1	13
Northern Ireland Office	4	21
Office for National Statistics	13	26
Office for Standards In Education	13	54
Office of Fair Trading	10	31
Office of Gas and Electricity Markets	6	32
Office of Government Commerce	10	32
Office of Rail Regulation	5	33
Ordnance Survey	2	40
Parliamentary Counsel Office	17	39
Postal Services Commission	2	33
Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office	2	25
Scottish Executive	85	34
Serious Fraud Office	3	27
Treasury Solicitor’s Department	32	45
Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat)	3	43
Welsh Assembly Government	50	34
Total	1340	32

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Note: Data are based on departmental returns and where applicable reflect numbers in post at October 2007, irrespective of funding arrangements. It excludes some civil servants who work at a senior level, such as senior diplomatic and military personnel (source: Cabinet Office SCS database).

The next diversity strategy for the Civil Service, Promoting Equality, Valuing Diversity—a Strategy for the Civil Service, was launched on 17 July 2008 and includes new diversity targets for the SCS:

39 per cent of the senior Civil Service to be women;34 per cent of top management posts to be held by women;5 per cent of the senior Civil Service to be minority ethnic staff; and5 per cent of the senior Civil Service to be disabled people.

The aim is to reach these targets within five years, with a stretch target of doing so within three years, and we will publish progress against them every six months. These targets will be underpinned by diversity targets for the SCS in each government department, as well as for their feeder grade populations and grades below where there is under-representation in particular groups.

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