6 Mar 1996 : Column: 211
Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 6 March 1996
TRANSPORT
West Coast Main Line
Mr. Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed restrictions have been imposed for a period greater than six weeks since 1 April 1994 on the west coast main line. [17153]
Mr. Watts: Railtrack informs me that there are currently 50 speed restrictions in place on the west coast main line. Details of past restrictions are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
RAF Northolt
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress his Department has made in developing new proposals to extend and improve the services offered at RAF Northolt for business users. [18456]
Mr. Norris: Following the decision in April 1995 not to proceed with a separate civil enclave at RAF Northolt, and the further consultation with business users and operators, my Department and the Ministry of Defence have been actively assessing what improvements might be implemented.
Royal Train
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 21 February, Official Report, column 145, what was the operating cost of the royal train per mile travelled including overheads, maintenance and security when a member of the Royal Family was on board or when the train was being positioned. [17932]
Mr. Watts: Rail Express Systems Ltd. has supplied information that the cost of the royal train in 1994-95 including overheads, maintenance and British Transport police security, when a member of the royal family was on board or when the train was being positioned, was £136.30 per mile. This consisted of £21.30 per mile operating costs and £115 per mile for overheads, maintenance and security. Corresponding information for the calendar year 1995 is not yet available.
M66
Mr. Callaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimates his Department has made of future traffic flows for the M66 between Denton and Middleton in both directions. [18254]
Mr. Watts: I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to the hon. Member.
6 Mar 1996 : Column: 212
Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Jim Callaghan, dated 6 March 1996:
The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent question about future traffic flows on the M66 Manchester Outer Ring Road.
The traffic levels do vary along the length of the motorway, so I have set out below the flows for the sections between the junctions. These forecasts are based on 16 hour daily flows.
Opening year
Design year
M66 motorway
section Low growth High growth Low growth High growth
A57 to A635 81,000 90,000 94,000 113,000
A635 to A62 73,000 82,000 85,000 101,000
A62 to A663 38,000 42,000 44,000 53,000
A663 to A664 43,000 48,000 50,000 60,000
A664 to A576 57,000 64,000 67,000 81,000
A576 to M62 70,000 77,000 83,000 100,000
Airports
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what sites other than existing airports his Department has in the south-east for airport development. [18452]
Mr. Norris: The Department of Transport does not itself hold any sites for airport development in the south-east, or elsewhere in the country.
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the development of (a) the Lydd and (b) the Manston sites as additional airport capacity in the south-east. [18446]
Mr. Norris: Following identification by the Civil Aviation Authority as potential sites for development in air traffic control terms, Lydd and Manston were two of the sites considered by the working group on runway capacity to serve the south-east. RUCATSE concluded that neither Lydd nor Manston would be suitable as sites for providing additional runaway capacity to serve the south-east and should not be subject to detailed assessment.
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what additional work his Department has undertaken in relation to potential development of Heathrow and Gatwick airports following the publication of the RUCATSE report. [18453]
Mr. Norris: The Government's response to the RUCATSE report, announced on 2 February 1995, said that the Secretary of State was asking the CAA, in conjunction with the British Airports Authority and others, to carry out further work to examine the gains that might be achieved and the environmental impact involved in making better use of existing runway infrastructure at Heathrow. He also invited BAA to investigate the possibility of less environmentally damaging options for runway development, such as a close parallel runway at Gatwick. In addition, I chair the steering group for the London airports surface access study, which is examining the opportunities for improvements in access to and between London's main airports by rail and through traffic management measures.
6 Mar 1996 : Column: 213
Ferry Inspections (Dover)
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the names of ferries inspected in the port of Dover in the last 12 months, indicating the defects found aboard each vessel. [18675]
Mr. Norris: In my answer to the hon. Member for Stoke on Trent, North (Ms Walley) on 27 April 1995, Official Report, columns 614-15, I stated the Government's belief that there is no benefit to the travelling public to be gained from the release of the results of routine inspections. The technical content of the report would not be easily comprehensible and could be open to misinterpretation.
In cases where an inspection of a foreign-registered roll-on roll-off ferry reveals serious deficiencies which lead to its detention, the details would be included in the list of ships detained in the UK ports, which is published monthly by the Marine Safety Agency.
Airport Security
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for each major UK airport for each of the last five years the number of security inspections undertaken by his Department. [18677]
Mr. Norris: The six major airports in the UK were subject to the following number of security inspections in each of the last four years:
| Airport | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | 89 | 124 | 136 | 115 | 464 |
| Gatwick | 46 | 80 | 83 | 105 | 314 |
| Manchester | 18 | 31 | 24 | 32 | 105 |
| Glasgow | 14 | 27 | 35 | 25 | 101 |
| Birmingham | 18 | 11 | 16 | 22 | 67 |
| Stanstead | 12 | 22 | 18 | 14 | 66 |
| Total | 197 | 295 | 312 | 313 | 1,117 |
The information is not available for 1991-92.
Inspectors visited these airports on many other occasions, mainly to audit and test their operations and to inspect, audit and test the operations of the airlines using them.
Mr. Barry Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in what circumstances and under what powers (a) his Department and (b) port authorities may override a salvage agreement. [18602]
Mr. Norris:
Under section 137 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, the Secretary of State may give directions to the owner, master or any salvor in possession of a ship requiring any of them to take, or refrain from taking, any action for the purpose of preventing or reducing oil pollution. The power may be exercised where an accident has occurred to or on a ship, and in the opinion of the Secretary of State, oil from the ship will or may cause pollution on a large scale in the United Kingdom or in United Kingdom waters, and in his opinion the use of the powers is urgently needed.
6 Mar 1996 : Column: 214
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |