Redundancy
Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on redundancy costs since May 2010. [67811]
Robert Neill [holding answer 19 July 2011]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my right hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham (Mr Redwood) today, PQs 66318 and 66343.
Official Overseas Visits
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much money his Department spent on international travel in each year since 2008-09. [67791]
Robert Neill: Details of the expenditure on international travel that are available for the last two financial years are presented in the following table:
| £ | ||
|
|
2009-2010 | 2010-11 |
| n/a = not available | ||
Figures for 2008-09 and on expenditure on international air travel and Eurostar for 2009-10 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
As part of the steps taken to minimise departmental spend on travel, guidance has been issued to staff about travelling economy not business class and to be flexible in achieving value for money when travelling by air. New arrangements have been introduced which mean that all flights outside of Europe and above £300 need to be approved by the central finance team to ensure value for money.
These controls on travel have been further supplemented with guidance to employees stating that first class rail travel is not an automatic right based on grade or distance of journey, that approval must be given and that central finance challenges each journey to ensure it was the most cost-effective option. This has seen the instances of first class travel drop from 116 tickets in the month of April 2010 to between five and 10 monthly now.
The Department, as of 1 August 2011, has also reduced its London hotel guideline rate from £125 to £110 per night.
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many overseas visits were made by (a) Ministers, (b) staff and (c) special advisers in his Department between June 2007 and May 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such visit. [68358]
Robert Neill: The Cabinet Office publishes an annual list of overseas travel over £500 undertaken by Ministers:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministers-overseas-travel
Travel by Ministers is undertaken in accordance with the ‘Ministerial Code’.
Full details of the number and costs of overseas visits, together with breakdowns by Ministers, staff and
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special advisers, from June 2007 until May 2010, are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him today, PQ 67791, which gives details of the cost of international hotel accommodation in 2009-10 as £39,330.
Housing: Standards
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many private homes have been entered by local authority inspectors to check compliance with (a) building regulations, (b) housing standards and (c) health and safety regulations in each of the last five years. [71617]
Andrew Stunell: The information requested is not held centrally.
Local Government: Bellwin Scheme
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have indicated that they intend to apply for financial assistance under the Bellwin Scheme in respect of costs incurred during the disturbances in August 2011; and how much he estimates will be paid out to local authorities under the scheme. [69787]
Robert Neill: To date 10 local authorities have indicated that they intend to apply for financial assistance under the Bellwin Scheme in respect of costs incurred during the disturbances. It is too early to estimate how much will be paid out under this scheme but we have asked local authorities to provide estimates which we hope to have by mid September.
Planning Permission: Solar Power
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what planning guidance he has issued to local authorities on the installation of ground level solar panels; and if he will make a statement. [71813]
Robert Neill: We published a consultation draft of the new National Planning Policy Framework in July which sets out the policies for renewable energy including ground level solar panels. ‘Planning for Renewable Energy: A Companion Guide to Planning Policy Statement 22’ on renewable energy provides some guidance on the planning issues which should be considered when determining an application for planning permission for stand alone solar panels. We are currently considering the need for planning guidance.
Public Disorder
Hugh Bayley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 11 August 2011, on public disorder: support for businesses, how many applications his Department has received for assistance from the High Street Support Scheme; how many businesses have received payments to date from the scheme; what the average value of payments made to date has been;
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how many applications for assistance have been rejected; and whether the Government intends to increase its funding for the scheme. [69784]
Robert Neill: To date 35 local authorities have registered an intention to claim assistance under the High Street Support Scheme. As part of the claim process we have asked local authorities for information on the number of businesses that will receive payments from the scheme, the value of such payments and how many applications have been rejected. Actual figures will not be known for some time but we have also asked the local authorities to provide estimated figures which we hope to have by mid September. This information will help us to assess the level of funding being sought for the scheme.
Treasury
Gift Aid
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reconsider his plans in respect of the Gift Aid treatment of payments which include tuition provision; and if he will make a statement. [71730]
Justine Greening: The Gift Aid rules require payments to be gifts to charities in order to be eligible. Payments made to obtain personal use of charity services are not gifts so do not attract Gift Aid. There are no plans to change the scope of the Gift Aid rules.
Child Benefit: Statistics
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 5 September 2011, Official Report, column 343W, on child benefits: Peterborough, for what reasons data on child benefit payments to EU nationals is not collected at (a) regional and (b) constituency level; and if he will make a statement. [71697]
Mr Gauke: Child benefit is a single national scheme which is administered centrally by the Child Benefit Office in HM Revenue and Customs. Consequently, data in respect of child benefit awards payable to nationals of other EU member states is not collected at regional or constituency level.
Children: Day Care
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the proportion of income spent by households per decile of income of the population for childcare in (a) each of the last five financial years. and (b) each of the next five financial years. [70476]
Mr Gauke: The requested information is not available.
Debts
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the level of (a) secured and (b) unsecured personal debt of households in each income decile in each of the next four financial years. [71424]
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Justine Greening: Official economic forecasts are produced by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). While the OBR do not produce forecasts by income decile, projections have been made for aggregate household debt alongside the Economic and Fiscal Outlook published in March 2011. The forecasts are available from the OBR website at:
http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/wordpress/docs/household%20debt%20paper%20formatted.doc1.pdf
Consultants
Austin Mitchell:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many senior civil servants in his Department at each grade had worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst and Young, Deloitte or KPMG immediately prior to taking up their appointment in each of the last four
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years; what consultancy agreements his Department had with those firms in each such year; and how many consultants from those firms have advised his Department in each such year. [68947]
Justine Greening: Fewer than five civil servants joined HM Treasury at senior civil servant pay band 1 in the financial year 2007-08 having worked for one of the listed firms immediately prior to taking up their appointment. No civil servants joining HM Treasury at a senior civil servant pay band since then had worked for one of the listed firms immediately prior to taking up their appointment.
The consultancy contracts awarded to PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst and Young, Deloitte or KPMG in each of the last four years are contained in the following table:
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14 Sep 2011 : Column 1190W
|
1. Support in the development of the Asset Protection Scheme |
1. Support in the development of the Asset Protection Scheme |
|||
The information requested on how many consultants from PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst and Young, Deloitte or KPMG who have advised the Department in each of the last four years is not held centrally by the Department and could be made available only at disproportionate cost.
Internships
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree of 22 October 2010, Official Report, column 896W, on departmental work experience, (1) what guidelines his Department issues on recruitment, selection, advertisement and operation of unpaid placements; [69473]
(2) how many (a) persons undertaking unpaid work experience, (b) unpaid interns and (c) other persons in unpaid positions were working in his Departments as of 1 July 2011. [69514]
Justine Greening: HM Treasury does not run unpaid placement schemes centrally.
On 1 July 2011 there were no unpaid interns or persons undertaking unpaid work experience in HM Treasury.
Energy: Prices
Albert Owen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his oral Answer of 6 September 2011, Official Report, columns 170-1, on domestic energy prices, what steps the Government are taking to curb excessive price increases for electricity and gas. [71551]
Justine Greening [h olding answer 13 September 2011]: The Government are taking a range of actions to increase people's control over their energy bills. These include finance for energy efficiency improvements, help for the most vulnerable consumers with energy efficiency and bills, support for microgeneration and consumer empowerment through smart meter roll-out and better information. Consumers should continue to check that they are on the best tariff for their needs and consider switching suppliers.
Ofgem monitors the market closely to check consumers are paying a fair price for their gas and electricity. Ofgem is currently consulting on additional measures to boost competition and consumer protection in gas and electricity markets.
EU Budget
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps he has taken to promote a programme of financial waste reduction in EU institutions. [71110]
Justine Greening [holding answer 9 September 2011]: The Government's top priority is to reduce the size of the EU Budget, through both annual and longer term Financial Perspective negotiations. The UK has consistently pressed member states for a concerted effort to ensure all EU spending delivers the highest value for money, through strict prioritisation to reduce waste.
The UK has first aimed to minimise annual growth in administrative expenditure in EU institutions. The Government, working in the EU Council, reduced the 2012 administrative budget from the 1.3% first proposed, to 0.4%. We are also working to achieve very significant savings in such spending over the next financial perspective, through reductions in three major areas: EU staff remuneration, EU staff numbers and all other administrative spending such as EU procurement and support services.
Excise Duties: Gaming Machines
Guto Bebb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many responses he has received to the consultation on machine games duty. [71709]
Justine Greening: The number of responses received during the consultation will be included in the summary of responses, which will be published in the autumn.
Guto Bebb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to respond to the consultation on machine games duty. [71710]
Justine Greening: A summary of responses to the consultation will be published in the autumn.
Freedom of Information Requests
Chris Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of requests made to his Department under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 were not answered within 20 working days between (a) 6 April 2007 and 5 April 2008, (b) 6 April 2008 and 5 April 2009 and (c) 6 April 2009 and 5 April 2010. [71443]
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Justine Greening [holding answer 12 September 2011]: Statistics on the Treasury's performance under the Freedom of Information Act are available from the House Library and published by the Ministry of Justice. Data covering 2009 and 2010 are available at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/foi/implementation.htm
and for 2007 and 2008 it is available at:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/freedomofinformationquarterly-archive.htm
The data published comply with the agreed reporting requirements for central Government Departments, meaning that they are organised in calendar years. HMT's performance over the period in question was:
| Percentage | ||||
|
|
2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands
Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the review into the effectiveness of the 50p rate of income tax will consider the effects of the tax rate on the economy including loss of revenue resulting from relocations overseas. [70142]
Mr Gauke: The Chancellor has asked HM Revenue and Customs to assess the revenue from the 50% rate of income tax. As I outlined in debates around the 2011 Finance Bill, HMRC will consider all available evidence around the impact of the 50% rate including data from the 2010-11 self-assessment returns which will become available next year.
The Chancellor also made clear in his Budget 2011 speech that the 50% rate is a temporary measure. In an age when businesses, capital and people are increasingly mobile, high tax rates send a negative signal to those looking to work and invest in the UK.
Legal Aid
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has had discussions with (a) the Secretary of State for Justice, (b) the Secretary of State for the Home Department, (c) the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, (d) the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and (e) the Secretary of State for Health on the implications for their Department's budgets of proposed reform of civil legal aid. [60405]
Danny Alexander: No. This is primarily a matter for the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. As the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury explained on 17 June, the impact of all policies, including the impact on the public purse, is considered carefully as part of both formal impact assessments and the Cabinet Office clearance process.
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Members: Correspondence
Chris Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of responses to items of correspondence received from the public and hon. Members to his Department since 25 May 2010 to the Treasury have not met his Department's correspondence targets. [70511]
Justine Greening [holding answer 7 September 2011]: I refer the hon. Member to the Cabinet Office's written statement on Members’ and Peers’ correspondence dated 28 March 2011, Official Report, column 1WS. Statistics for each Department's timelines in replying to correspondence received from Members in 2011 will be similarly published in 2012.
Such statements do not cover correspondence direct from members of the public, which is generally handled by officials. Since 25 May 2010, 4,358 (29%) of these letters were not replied to within the target 15 working days.
In the face of continuing high volumes of correspondence for a relatively small Department, the Treasury is redesigning its processes to improve performance in this regard.
National Insurance Contributions: Birmingham
Steve McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses in Birmingham have participated in the national insurance contributions holiday since the scheme came into effect. [69636]
Mr Gauke: As of 22 August 2011, HMRC has received a total of 136 successful applications for the NICs holiday from Birmingham city council constituencies, including:
Edgbaston
Erdington
Hall Green
Hodge Hill
Ladywood
Northfield
Perry Barr
Selly Oak
Sutton Coldfield
Yardley.
Steve McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses in Birmingham, Selly Oak constituency have participated in the employer national insurance contributions holiday since the scheme came into effect. [69708]
Mr Gauke: As of 15 August, HMRC has received eight successful applications from businesses in Birmingham, Selly Oak constituency.
National Insurance Contributions: Northern Ireland
Naomi Long: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many new businesses established in Belfast East constituency have participated in the National Insurance Holiday scheme. [70390]
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Mr Gauke: As of 17 August 2011, HMRC has received a total of 15 successful applications for the NICs Holiday from Belfast East constituency.
Social Security Benefits
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 6 September 2011, Official Report, column 400W, on social security benefits: overseas residence, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of collecting and collating the data contained in the Answer; and if he will make a statement. [71698]
Mr Gauke: Information concerning the number of ongoing child benefit awards under EC Regulation 883/2004 and the children covered by such awards is provided by an existing database in HM Revenue and Customs. The current costs of collating and collecting that data are, therefore, minimal.
Taxation: Foreign Companies
Mr Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the contribution of controlled foreign companies to the national tax gap in each year since 2005. [70092]
Mr Gauke: The new set of tax gap estimates will be published in Measuring Tax Gaps 2011 on 21 September 2011. The estimates for corporation tax include the contribution made by the CFC regime. The estimates cannot be shared before 21 September because of Official Statistics protocols.
Mr Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that the tax regime applying to controlled foreign companies (CFCs) reduces the tax gap during the comprehensive spending review period; and what estimate has been made of the contribution CFCs will make to reducing the tax gap in each year of that period. [70212]
Mr Gauke: Proposals for the design of a new controlled foreign company (CFC) regime were published on 30 June 2011 and are subject to consultation at present. The new CFC regime will be introduced during the comprehensive spending review period. One aim of the design proposals is to minimise any tax gap arising from the new regime.
Transport
Bus Services: Concessions
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pensioners have claimed free bus travel in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England in each year since the concession's inception. [70450]
Norman Baker: The Department does not have information about use of the free bus travel concession at individual local authority level.
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Population estimates from the Office for National Statistics show the numbers of people of eligible age for an England national bus pass, from mid-year 2008 to mid-year 2010:
| Thousand | |||
|
|
2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
The National Travel Survey 2010 estimates that, in England, 78% of eligible older people hold an England national bus pass.
The number of concessionary passenger journeys on local bus services in England from 2007-08 to 2009-10 can be found at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/statistics/tables/bus0105
The right to free bus travel for both older and disabled people is enshrined in primary legislation and, in last year's spending review, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the right hon. Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), confirmed the Government's commitment to protect the free bus travel concession.
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on concessionary bus travel for pensioners in (a) England and (b) the City of York in each year since such schemes were introduced. [71502]
Norman Baker: Following the introduction of the England-wide statutory off-peak bus travel concession for older and disabled people in April 2008, the Department for Transport provided a portion of the funding through a special grant to local authorities from 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2011. Figures for the special grant for England and for the City of York in each of those years are shown in the following table:
| £ million | |||
|
|
2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
From 1 April 2011 all funding for concessionary travel is provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) through formula grant. Prior to that date, DCLG provided the majority of funding. In each year, returns to DCLG show that local authorities spent, in total, around £1 billion on both the statutory concession and their own locally funded enhancements to concessionary travel schemes. Further information is published by DCLG at the following web link:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1827069.xls
Ian Austin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from (a) coach operators, (b) disability organisations, (c) other
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organisations and
(d)
individuals on changes in the funding of the concessionary coach travel scheme. [70299]
Norman Baker [holding answer 7 September 2011]: By 12 September 2011, the Department for Transport had received representations on changes in the funding of the concessionary coach travel scheme from a coach operator and a number of individuals.
The Department has not received representations from any other organisations, including disability organisations, though individual Ministers may have in their constituency capacities.
The funding changes were announced as part of the 2010 spending review.
Bus Services: Contracts
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) quality contracts and (b) quality partnerships exist governing bus services in England; and what geographical locations they cover in each such case. [71664]
Norman Baker: Local transport authorities are not required to consult or inform the Government when making bus Quality Contract or Quality Partnership Schemes. It is my understanding that there are no Quality Contract Schemes in effect in England, and that there are currently three statutory Quality Partnership Schemes in effect in England: in Barnsley, in Nottingham and in Bath and North East Somerset.
Bus Services: GPS
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on which Passenger Transport Executives have bus fleets which (a) are fitted and (b) they plan to fit with global positioning system tracking systems. [70099]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport does not collect information from Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs) on whether the bus operators serving their areas are using buses or plan to use buses fitted with global positioning systems (GPS). The Department does publish statistics on the percentage of buses fitted with automatic vehicle location equipment (AVL), including GPS, which is collected through its annual public service vehicle survey of operators. This includes a figure for the English metropolitan areas (the six English PTEs). In 2009-10 53% of buses operating in the English metropolitan areas were fitted with AVL equipment. This is available on the Department's website at:
http://assets.dft.gov.uk/statistics/tables/bus0606.xls
Bus Services: Standards
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent report he has received from the Traffic Commissioners on bus punctuality. [71665]
Norman Baker:
The latest published report from the Traffic Commissioners is the "Traffic Commissioners' Annual Reports 2009-10" which reports on their judicial, regulatory and administrative roles, including bus
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punctuality. Copies of the report were placed in the Libraries of the House when it was published in November 2010.
Caravans: Accidents
Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on accidents related to the road worthiness of caravans; [71728]
(2) what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the road worthiness of (i) type 1 and (ii) type 2 trailers. [71729]
Mike Penning: Research has been commissioned to determine the relevance of roadworthiness defects in accidents involving light trailers, included caravans, with an unladen weight not exceeding 1,020 kg that are drawn by a motor vehicle. The research will be evaluated and published once complete.
Cars: Tyres
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans to extend the MOT test to cover spare tyres. [70693]
Mike Penning: I have no plans to extend the MOT test to include examination of spare tyres. I do intend to review the MOT test more broadly and expect to be in a position to clarify scope and timing of the review in the autumn.
Cycling: Children
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to encourage children to (a) walk and (b) cycle to school; and if he will make a statement. [70727]
Norman Baker: The Government are taking steps to encourage children to walk and cycle to school. In January we announced the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. The Fund will make £560 million available to local authorities to help build strong local economies and address at a local level the urgent challenges of climate change, delivering cleaner environments, improving safety, and increasing physical activity. Many local authorities that were successful in bidding to the Fund in the first tranche have included school-based initiatives in their plans.
Furthermore, in 2011-12 the Fund has supported national projects including walk to school initiatives, walking and cycling links to schools and "Bike It" officers.
The Government have also committed to support Bikeability cycle training for the remainder of this Parliament. £11 million in grant funding has been made available in 2011-12, which will provide the opportunity for around 275,000 children to receive training at school.
Departmental Written Questions
Thomas Docherty:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of written questions tabled to him for answer on a named day did not receive a
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substantive answer on the day named for answer between
(a)
27 May 2010 and 19 July 2011 and
(b)
9 March 2011 and 19 July 2011. [71140]
Norman Baker: Of the 929 named day questions tabled to the Department between 27 May 2010 and 19 July 2011, 502 (54%) received a holding, rather than a substantive, reply on the day named for answer. The corresponding figures for the period 9 March to 19 July 2011 were 320 and 175 (55%) respectively.
The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 Parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.
Driving: Eyesight
Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the replacement of the number-plate test for drivers with a comprehensive eye test by a qualified medical practitioner (a) when taking an initial driving test, (b) for drivers at age 70 and (c) for all drivers at 10 year intervals. [68249]
Mike Penning: The Government are committed to reducing the regulatory burden on business and the public, and have no plans to commission research on replacing the existing number plate test with a more expensive compulsory eye-test.
Driving: Licensing
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will review the policy of a driving licence holder undertaking a self-assessment to inform the potential suspension of a licence on medical grounds by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency; and if he will make a statement. [70901]
Mike Penning: There are no plans to review the current policy of self-notification by drivers of medical conditions that may affect their ability to drive safely.
Introducing a system of independent medical assessments by doctors for all driving licence applicants would cause great inconvenience and expense and is unnecessary. The current self-notification requirement strikes the right balance between road safety and the need for personal mobility.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average time taken by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is, once informed of concerns on medical grounds, of a driver's fitness to drive, to complete an investigation and, where appropriate, revoke the driver's licence; and if he will make a statement. [70902]
Mike Penning: The average time taken to complete a medical investigation into a driver's fitness to drive following a third party notification is not recorded. The agency's published service standards state that where medical inquires are needed, the agency will aim to make a decision in 85% of cases within 90 working days.
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Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are taken by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to enforce the self-assessment of drivers who, on medical grounds, may be considered unfit to drive; whether third parties may make representations to the DVLA to investigate such drivers; whether medical professionals and the police have an obligation to report their concerns to the DVLA; and if he will make a statement. [70903]
Mike Penning: It is a criminal offence to fail to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) of a medical condition that may affect safe driving. The DVLA makes information about the medical standards needed for driver licensing available on the application form, on information leaflets and also on the Internet to enable drivers to make an informed self-declaration.
The DVLA will accept third party notifications. These are often made by relatives, neighbours and health care professionals. Although there is no legal requirement for the police and medical professionals to make such notifications, guidelines issued by the General Medical Council and the College of Optometrists recommend reporting to the DVLA if advice from a doctor or optometrist to stop driving has been ignored.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average length of time was between a driver suspended from driving to receiving a notice of the revocation of their licence from the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [70910]
Mike Penning: The average time taken between a decision being made to revoke a driving licence following a third party notification and the driver receiving that notification is not held. From when the notification is prepared and sent, a four-day postal delivery period is included to ensure the driver is aware of the revocation before it becomes effective.
Electric Vehicles
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2011, Official Report, column 434W, on electric vehicles, how many Type 2 connectors he expects to be installed in 2011; and in which locations. [70481]
Norman Baker: As I mentioned in my response of 14 July 2011, Official Report, column 434W, this is a matter on which industry leads.
The market is already beginning to move towards the Type II connector to enable faster public recharging. It is difficult to estimate the exact number of Type II connectors that the market will install this year and their precise locations.
The Plugged-In Places projects are already installing Type II connectors though some projects have elected to continue installing some standard three-pin charge points, for a short time, to support legacy electric vehicles that are not in a position to utilise the Type II connector.
All projects plan to move to install only Type II infrastructure in public places before the end of the year.
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Energy Networks
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to encourage the linking of the trans-European transport and energy networks. [71095]
Mrs Villiers: As yet the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has not taken any such steps.
Government Car and Despatch Agency: Uniforms
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Government Car and Despatch Agency has spent on uniforms for its drivers in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [69772]
Mike Penning: Records available for the period April 2010 to March 2011 show that the Government Car and Despatch Agency spent £16,000 on uniforms during that time. All purchases were made through OGC Buying Solutions. Of the £16,000 spent, £11,000 was spent on Government mail driver uniforms and £5,000 on Government Car driver uniforms. By way of comparison, for the period April 2009 to March 2010 the Government Car and Despatch Agency spent a total of £41,000 on uniforms.
Humber Bridge
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what purpose CCTV is used on the Humber Bridge; and what the cost has been of (a) installation and (b) maintenance since its installation. [69755]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport does not have responsibility for operation of the Humber bridge. The Humber Bridge Board may be able to supply the information requested.
M1: Road Traffic
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what further steps he plans to take to reduce congestion northbound between junctions 27 and 28 on the M1 motorway at rush hour times; and if he will make a statement. [71302]
Mike Penning: The congestion northbound is due to the transition from the four lane section to a three lane section at junction 28. There is also additional traffic that joins the northbound M1 from the A38.
M1 Junction 27 to 28 forms part of the section that was widened in May 2010. This comprises a section of controlled motorway designed to reduce congestion. It uses variable mandatory speed limits to help manage traffic flows at peak times or following an incident. It is a component of managed motorways, which uses a range of innovative technology combined with new operating procedures to actively control traffic flow. Techniques such as varying the speed limits, opening up the hard shoulder to traffic or limiting access to the motorway from slip roads when needed are all measures of managed motorways designed to reduce congestion.
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M1 J28 to 31 Managed Motorway scheme is currently in the preliminary design phase, which will be completed by summer 2012. This scheme is prioritised as one of the fourteen schemes which is to proceed into construction before April 2015. The project will increase the capacity of the M1 Junction 28 to 31, by making the existing hard shoulder suitable for use as a running lane and introducing managed motorway technology.
Motor Vehicles: Insurance
Jim McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking in respect of the cost of insurance premiums for motorists. [71045]
Mike Penning: The Government are concerned about the rising cost of motor insurance and are taking a number of steps to mitigate this including:
The Ministry of Justice are taking forward fundamental reform to no win no fee conditional fee agreements, which will make the costs of defending personal injury claims more proportionate. These reforms are included in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, currently before Parliament.
The Government will ban referral fees in personal injury cases.
Reduce uninsured driving by the recent introduction of a new offence of keeping a vehicle without insurance, known as the continuous insurance enforcement scheme.
Tackling fraud by; (a) from 2012 a specialist insurance fraud police unit will be established; and (b) looking to allow insurers access to the DVLA driver record to prevent situations where drivers who have given inaccurate information when taking out insurance being only detected when they make a claim, which can then be refused.
The Government are taking a number of steps as set out in the Road Safety Strategy published on 11 May such as; the introduction of fixed penalty notices for careless driving, tougher enforcement for drink and drug driving, better information for the public and professionals, more remedial education and improvements in training and testing.
Motor Vehicles: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many domestic vehicles in each vehicle excise duty band were registered to addresses in York in the latest period for which figures are available. [71505]
Mike Penning: The following table gives the number of privately registered cars, motorcycles (including scooters and mopeds) and light vans, broken down by vehicle excise duty class, that were licensed and registered to addresses in the city of York unitary council on 30 June 2011.
|
|
Number |
14 Sep 2011 : Column 1201W
| (1) Band K includes cars that have a CO2 figure over 225 g/km but were registered before 23 March 2006. (2) Includes only light goods vehicles that are privately registered. It is likely that some of these vehicles will also be used for commercial purposes. | |
Railways: Fares
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the potential effect on rail passenger numbers of the proposed increase in rail fares. [70132]
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Mrs Villiers: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Andrew Gwynne) on 10 November 2010, Official Report, column 335W.
Rescue Services
Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how an emergency incident would be co-ordinated from beginning to end and what the role of the (a) Maritime Operations Centre and (b) Maritime Rescue Sub-Centres will be in that process under his Department's revised proposals for the future of the coastguard. [69445]
Mike Penning: The role of the Maritime Operations Centre and Maritime Rescue Sub-Centres in coordinating an emergency incident, under the revised coastguard modernisation proposals can be found on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's website at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/concept_of_operations_doc
Roads: Accidents
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many road users excluding cyclists have been (a) killed or (b) injured in (i) Pendle constituency, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) nationwide in road traffic accidents involving cyclists in each of the last five years; [71770]
(2) how many cyclists have been (a) killed or (b) injured as a result of road traffic accidents in each of the last five years. [71771]
Mike Penning: The number of reported road casualties, excluding pedal cyclists, (a) killed or (b) seriously or slightly injured, resulting from reported personal injury road accidents involving pedal cyclists is shown in Table 1, for the years 2006-10 and for the areas requested.
The number of reported pedal cyclists (a) killed or (b) seriously or slightly injured, as a result of reported personal injury road accidents in Great Britain is shown in Table 2, for the years 2006-10.
| Table 1: Reported road casualties, excluding pedal cyclists, resulting from reported personal injury road accidents involving pedal cyclists, by injury severity and area, 2006-10 | ||||||
| Number of casualties | ||||||
| Killed | Seriously or slightly injured | |||||
| Accident year | Pendle (1) | Lancashire (2) | GB | Pendle (1) | Lancashire (2) | GB |
| (1) Parliamentary constituency of Pendle, based on 2010 constituency boundary. (2) Includes Blackburn and Blackpool unitary authorities. | ||||||
| Table 2: Reported pedal cyclist casualties, by injury severity, GB: 2006-10 | |||
| Number of casualties | |||
| Accident year | Killed | Seriously or slightly injured | All pedal cyclist casualties |
Shipping: EU Law
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to implement a new port state control system following the request from the European Commission of 19 May 2011. [69204]
Mike Penning:
The UK already has an established port state control regime based on the 1995 Council Directive. The Commission's letter concerns the UK's implementation of the recast 2009 Directive, with part
14 Sep 2011 : Column 1203W
of which the UK is already compliant. Draft UK Regulations and supporting documents to complete implementation of the Directive are under consultation with the shipping sector until 9 September. After consideration of the responses and regulatory clearance, the draft Regulations are intended to be in place by the end of the year.
Speed Limits: Carbon Emissions
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the recommendations contained in the Committee on Climate Change's recent progress report on enforcement of speed limits to reduce carbon emissions. [68675]
Mike Penning: Enforcement of speed limits is a matter for the police. The latest figures, not available when the Committee on Climate Change's report was drafted, show that speeding on the motorways declined in 2010. Preliminary work considering the increase of the motorway speed limit to 80 mph is in progress: carbon emissions will be part of the assessment.
Thameslink Rolling Stock
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which external consultants were contracted to advise his Department on the (a) design, (b) tendering and (c) award of preferred bidder status for the Thameslink rolling stock contract; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such contract. [R] [68716]
Mrs Villiers: The cost of each contract against the categories requested up to June 2011 is as follows:
| £ million | |||
| Vendor | (a) Design | (b) Tendering (1) | (c) Award of preferred bidder status |
| (1 )Tendering relates to evaluation. Note: These figures exclude VAT. | |||
Travel: Accidents
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) fatal and (b) serious travel-related accidents there have been in (i) the City of York and (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber in each year since 1996-97. [71504]
Mike Penning: The number of (a) fatal and (b) serious road accidents reported to the police, in (i) York unitary authority and (ii) the former Government office region of Yorkshire and the Humber, is given in the following table:
14 Sep 2011 : Column 1204W
| Number of personal injury road accidents | ||||
| (i) York unitary authority | (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber (1) | |||
|
|
(a) Fatal | (b) Serious | (a) Fatal | (b) Serious |
| (1) The former Government office region of Yorkshire and the Humber (2) In April 1996 the city of York local authority became a unitary authority and increased in size. | ||||
The Department does not hold any railway and air accident information broken down for the City of York and the Yorkshire and Humber region.
Vehicle Number Plates: Flags
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on how many vehicles registered in Great Britain have a national flag on their number plate. [70870]
Mike Penning: The Department does not hold any information about the number of Great Britain registered vehicles with a national flag on their number plate.
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to improve the availability of equipment to be despatched to armed forces in Afghanistan. [70648]
Peter Luff: Success in Afghanistan is the top priority for Defence and we are fully committed to ensuring that the campaign is properly resourced, funded and equipped. Operational commanders have confirmed they have the equipment they need to fulfil the strategy set for them in Afghanistan. This is the result of a continual cycle of equipment upgrades since operations began, a process the Government remain firmly committed to.
On support to current operations, 95% of urgent operational requirements exceeded or met the expected delivery date, 42% were achieved below the approved cost and 104 of the 106 projects approved were delivered in-year.
For our longer-term equipment programmes we have developed an early warning system that uses key performance indicators to indicate where we may have future issues on a project that will need to be addressed. The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon.
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Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox) has also established the Major Projects Review Board which will regularly review the top 50 equipment projects managed by the Department to ensure that corrective measures are taken, particularly where a project is running over budget or behind expected timelines.
Armed Forces: Health Services
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) official and (b) VIP visits to (i) Headley Court and (ii) the wards of Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham managed by his Department his Department has authorised since 12 May 2010; and how many applications for such visits have been refused. [71389]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 12 September 2011]: Records of official visits to these facilities date from June 2010. In that period, this Department has authorised 31 such visits to the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court, during which a total of 40 senior military officials and civilian VIPs attended. 25 visits were authorised to the designated Military Ward at the Queen Elizabeth hospital, Birmingham, during which a total of 37 senior military officials and civilian VIPs attended. Visits by groups such as the House of Commons Defence Committee are counted as a single visit, but with the total number of visitors counted separately. The numbers provided exclude supporting personnel such as military assistants. Records of visits refused are not held.
Defence Support Group
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with (a) Babcock, (b) BAE Systems and (c) General Dynamics UK on the sale of Defence Support Group properties. [70846]
Peter Luff: Defence Ministers and officials meet with industry on a routine basis to discuss a wide range of defence issues, including the sale of the Defence Support Group (DSG). I am withholding details of these discussions as their disclosure would prejudice commercial interests. Nevertheless, the decision to sell the DSG, announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review White Paper last October, has generated significant interest within industry. Although the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is not yet in a position to invite formal expressions of interest in the sale, we have received some early and speculative approaches from a number of companies, including BAES, Babcock and General Dynamics (UK). MOD officials have met informally with BAES and Babcock, at the request of the companies, to allow them to explain their interest in the DSG in more detail.
Defence: Procurement
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which foreign companies have been awarded contracts that included an obligation for industrial participation in the latest period for which figures are available; what the value of each contract was; and which of these contracts was subject to Treaty exemption under Article 346. [70862]
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Peter Luff: The UK's industrial participation policy is voluntary. No foreign defence companies have been awarded contracts that include a contractual obligation for industrial participation. We are currently reviewing our industrial participation policy to ensure it remains compatible with EU law.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information regarding offset commitments has been provided to the European Defence Agency since Directive 2009/81/EC was transposed into UK law. [70863]
Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence has not presented any information to the European Defence Agency in relation to the UK's industrial participation commitments for foreign Defence companies since Directive 2009/81/EC was transposed into national law.
European Fighter Aircraft
Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has considered using the Typhoon as an alternative to the F35 Joint Strike Fighter to serve on the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers; and if he will estimate the potential cost to the public purse of using the Typhoon as an alternative to the F35 Joint Strike Fighter in terms of (a) initial purchase, (b) maintenance and (c) compatibility with the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers. [70322]
Peter Luff [holding answer 12 September 2011]: A ‘marinised' variant of the Typhoon aircraft was considered, along with a number of other options, before the decision was taken to select the Joint Strike Fighter to satisfy the UK's future Joint Combat Aircraft requirement. All option studies undertaken to date have consistently concluded that the Joint Strike Fighter provided the best value for money in light of our future capability requirements.
Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Statement by the Prime Minister of 19 October 2010, Official Report, column 801, and with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for North Durham, of 20 July 2011, Official Report, column 1140W, on joint strike fighter aircraft, what the evidential basis is for the statement that the carrier version of the joint strike fighter will be less expensive than the version commissioned by the previous Administration. [71804]
Peter Luff: All cost data provided by both the Joint Strike Fighter F35 contractors and the US Department of Defense indicate that the average unit price for the carrier variant will be lower than that estimated for the Short Take Off and Vertical Landing variant. These costs are supported by latest production data and are independently validated both in the US and UK.
Libya: Armed Conflict
Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of weapons used by UK forces in support of Operation Ellamy was represented by Brimstone and precision missiles. [70222]
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Nick Harvey: From the start of current operations in Libya up till 1 September 2011, UK forces have employed around 1,100 precision guided munitions, 110 direct fire weapons, 4,100 rounds of direct fire 30 mm cannon rounds, and around 240 high explosive or illumination rounds from 4.5 inch naval guns. Therefore, excluding 30 mm cannon rounds, 76% of weapons employed were precision guided. We carefully select the type of weapon in every engagement to ensure the most appropriate munition is used to deliver the required effect, while minimising the risk of civilian casualties.
The precision-guided munitions used include Dual Mode Seeker Brimstone, Enhanced Paveway II, Paveway IV, Storm Shadow missiles and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles. Direct fire munitions include Hellfire missiles and CRV-7 rockets.
RAF Coningsby
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether additional Quick Reaction Alert provision will be created at RAF Coningsby following the drawdown of the Typhoon force from RAF Leuchars. [71347]
Nick Harvey: Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) North will transfer from RAF Leuchars to RAF Lossiemouth; therefore there is no plan for additional QRA provision created at RAF Coningsby.
Type 26 Frigates
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Capability Decision Point will be reached for the Type 26 Frigate programme. [70861]
Peter Luff: The Type 26 Global Combat Ship programme is currently in its assessment phase, which is expected to be complete by early 2014. The capability decision point, an internal programme milestone, will be reached as part of this phase.
Unmanned Air Vehicles
Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for future unmanned combat air vehicles research funding; and if he will make a statement. [70638]
Peter Luff: In March 2011, the Defence Research and Development Board endorsed the concept of an “Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) research and development pipeline.”
This will provide high level overview of, and direction to, the UK's UAS research and technology effort, which includes that relevant to unmanned combat air vehicles, over the next five years. In addition to technological research it will underpin an ability to test, evaluate, support and operate such systems in the future.
More about this pipeline can be found in the joint doctrine note 2/11, “The UK approach to Unmanned Aircraft Systems”, which is available at the following website:
http://www.mod.uk/defenceinternet/microsite/dcdc/ourpublications/JDNP/JDN211TheUKApproachToUnmannedAircraftSystems.htm
A copy will be placed in the Library of the House.
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Education
Children: Day Care
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of childcare settings in (a) the 10 per cent. most deprived areas, (b) the 10 per cent. least deprived areas and (c) all areas were assessed as inadequate by Ofsted in each year since 2008-09. [70255]
Sarah Teather: This information is held by Ofsted. The chief inspector, Miriam Rosen, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
Letter from Miriam Rosen, dated 7 September 2011:
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
The information you require is presented in Tables A - C
Ofsted's inspection framework for childcare changed on 1 September 2008 with the introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage. For 2008-09 we have therefore provided data separately for the inspection framework in place from 1 April 2008 - 31 August 2008 and the current Early Years Foundation Stage inspection framework, which was introduced on 1 September 2008.
Our source for identifying the most and least deprived local authorities is the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) 2010. This is a supplementary index of the Indices of Multiple Deprivation and is produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government. It is updated every three years. More information can be found on the Department for Communities and Local Governments website:
www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/indices2010?view=Standard
A copy of this reply has been sent to Sarah Teather MP, Minister of State for Children and Families, and will be placed in the library of both houses.
| Table A: Inspections of child care providers between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2011 for the 10% most deprived local authority areas (1,2) | |||
| Period | Total inspections | Total inadequate | Percentage inadequate |
| (1) Data are based on the information held about inspections as at 31 March 2011. (2) Source for identifying the 10% most and least deprived local authorities is the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index 2010, (IDACI 2010), a supplementary index of the Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2010 produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government: www.communities.gov.uk | |||
| Table B: Inspection data for child care providers between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2011 for the 10% least deprived local authority areas (1,2) | |||
| Period | Total inspections | Total inadequate | Percentage inadequate |
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| (1) Data are based on the information held about inspections as at 31 March 2011. (2) Source for identifying the 10% most and least deprived local authorities is the income Deprivation Affecting Children Index 2010, (IDAD 2010), a supplementary Index of the Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2010 produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government www.communities.gov.uk | |||
| Table C: Inspection data for child care providers between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2011 for England (1) | |||
| Period | Total inspections | Total inadequate | Percentage inadequate |
| (1) Data are based on the information held about inspections as at 31 March 2011 | |||
Early Years Foundation Stage Review
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how he plans to consider continence in the revised Early Years Foundation Stage; and whether the special education needs single statutory assessment and new developmental review for two-year-olds will include assessment of continence needs. [71020]
Sarah Teather: The revised Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) welfare requirements continue to require early years providers to take necessary steps to promote the welfare of children. The document provides a guide for practitioners on expectations in relation to children's development, including physical development, at different age ranges. Where providers have specific concerns about a child's progress they should engage parents and, if necessary, experts to provide appropriate support.
Proposals for the revised EYFS include, subject to consultation, the introduction of a written summary of progress for all children attending early years provision between the ages of 24 and 36 months. This would cover children's development in the following areas: personal, social and emotional development, physical development, and communication and language.
Changes to the single assessment of special educational needs will be piloted in local areas. We are not yet in a position to make decisions about which assessments, and which provision, a new single plan might include.
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Schools: Attendance
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what measures he plans to use to monitor the progress of the lowest attaining 20% of children in schools. [69725]
Sarah Teather: In the recent Green Paper, “Support and aspiration: a new approach to special educational needs and disability”, we announced our intention to introduce a new measure in performance tables relating to the progress made by the lowest attaining 20% of pupils. This measure is intended to help show parents and the public how well schools do in supporting those pupils who start with low attainment to progress. We have consulted on this proposal through the Green Paper consultation exercise and are carefully considering the responses. We will publish further detailed plans on this by the end of the year.
Schools: Sanitation
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to incorporate regulations on water and toilet facilities in his revision of the School Premises Regulations. [70978]
Mr Gibb: Subject to public consultation, which I expect to commence in October, the new regulations will include water supplies and toilet and washing facilities.
Electoral Commission Committee
Alternative Vote
Thomas Docherty: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what his most recent estimate is of the funding that has been provided to (a) each local authority in (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Scotland and (b) the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland to meet the cost of the referendum on the alternative vote. [71615]
Mr Streeter [holding answer 13 September 2011]: The Electoral Commission informs me that a total of £79,762,679 was provided for in The Referendum on the Voting System (Counting Officers' Charges) Order 2011, which is available on:
www.legislation.gov.uk
Schedule 1 and 2 of the Order shows the maximum recoverable amounts for each voting area. In England voting areas were defined as local authority areas, however, in Scotland they were Scottish Parliament constituencies. In Wales the voting areas were the Welsh Assembly constituencies and Northern Ireland was a single voting area.
Counting Officers and Regional Counting Officers have until 5 January 2012 to submit final accounts to the Election Claims Unit. It is only after all the final accounts have been received and agreed that the final cost of the referendum can be confirmed.
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Business, Innovation and Skills
High Street Support Scheme
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the funds provided by his Department in respect of the High Street Support scheme are allocated from existing budgets; and if he will make a statement. [71790]
Mr Davey: The Department's £7 million contribution to the High Street Support scheme will be funded from existing budgets. This is possible through utilising underspends achieved through reducing the ongoing commitments and maximising the returns on assets as part of the closure of Regional Development Agencies.
Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether facilities provided to the ASLEF union and funded through the Transforming Communications with Union Members project from the Union Modernisation Fund have been used for campaigning and political purposes. [71038]
Mr Davey: The Transforming Communications project created an enhanced website and mobile phone facilities in order to enable communication with members in a modern environment; provide access for members to documents libraries, which would otherwise not be available to them either because of size or cost; encourage members to express their views and identify training needs.
We are not aware of the use of these facilities for campaigns or political purposes but a series of member surveys, discussion forums and online voting have been undertaken to provide improved opportunities for members to have their voice heard, to meet individual members’ needs and to improve membership services.
Improving two-way communications between unions and their members and providing services geared to the needs of a diverse membership were key themes for this round of Union Modernisation Fund projects.
Business
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department collected any data on (a) levels of awareness among small and medium-sized businesses of sources of advice and support on compliance issues and (b) their satisfaction with such sources in each year since 2005. [67057]
Mr Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills carries out regular surveys of businesses, many of which touch on awareness of compliance with regulation.
In addition the Anderson Review (January 2009) “The Good Guidance Guide: taking the uncertainty out of regulation” focused on this issue. The BIS Small Business Survey asks small and medium-sized enterprise employers a range of questions including where they go for business advice and the nature of their query. For more detailed information see:
14 Sep 2011 : Column 1212W
http://www.berr.gov.uk/policies/enterprise-and-business-support/analytical-unit/research-and-evaluation/cross-cutting-research
The current consultation on Enforcement Strategy will gather further up-to-date evidence. This consultation will run until 16 September 2011, and can be found at:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/better-regulation/improving-regulatory-delivery/consultation-enforcement-strategy
Businesses: Fraud
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the annual number of start-up businesses that fail as a result of fraudulent activity against such companies. [70753]
Mr Davey: The Office for National Statistics produce the official statistics on business start-ups and closures
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bus-register/business-demography/2009/index.html
but information is not collected on the reason for business closure.
Foreign Defence Companies
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what steps his Department takes to monitor whether foreign defence companies meet their industrial participation obligations; [70838]
(2) how many contracts by (a) company and (b) value have been placed with UK companies by foreign defence companies in order to reach the required level of industrial participation credits in each of the last 10 years; [70839]
(3) which defence companies his Department is auditing regarding industrial participation. [70840]
Mr Davey: UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI DSO) monitors offshore companies' delivery of industrial participation (IP) through a Letter of Agreement (LOA). Under the terms and conditions of the LOA, the offshore company submits biannual reports to BIS.
The UK invites foreign defence companies to submit voluntary IP proposals. Her Majesty's Government does not place IP contracts and does not specify a level of IP credit.
The following defence companies submit a report in accordance with a Letter of Agreement with UK MOD:
Boeing
EADS
Raytheon/ Lockheed Martin (Joint Programme)
Elbit
L-3 Communications.
Inward Investment: Yorkshire and the Humber
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much foreign investment in (a) Yorkshire and the Humber and (b) the City of York there was in each year since 2003; and what estimate he has made of the number of jobs generated by such investment in each of those years. [71430]
14 Sep 2011 : Column 1213W
Mr Davey: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) records the number of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects entering the UK each year. The following table shows the number of FDI projects and associated jobs recorded by UKTI in Yorkshire and the Humber for financial years 2003/04 to 2010/11. Information specific to the City of York is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
| FDI Projects in Yorkshire and the Humber | ||||
|
|
Number of projects | Number of new jobs | Number of safeguarded jobs | Total number of associated jobs |
| Source: UKTI Database | ||||