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Signposts (Bolton)
Mr. Thurnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the director of the Highways Agency concerning motorway signposts to Bolton at the M6-M61 junction; and if he will make a statement. [36263]
Mr. Watts: The Highways Agency is signing Bolton in the way explained in my letter of 2 May to my hon. Friend.
Second Severn Crossing
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what repair work has had to be undertaken on the approach roads to the second Severn crossing as a result of defective steel work; and what has been the effect on traffic flows. [35987]
Mr. Watts: I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. John Spellar, dated 10 July 1996:
The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the approach roads to the Second Severn Crossing.
Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received concerning the remuneration of catering personnel employed in newly privatised rail services. [36163]
10 Jul 1996 : Column: 202
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the budget allocated to Cheshire county council for insulation against transport noise in each of the last five years. [36540]
Mr. Norris:
The resources that my Department allocates to local authorities for construction or improvement of transport infrastructure may, where appropriate, be used partly to cover the cost of insulation against traffic noise, but we do not normally keep separate records of this element of scheme costs.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the budget allocated to Cheshire county council by his Department for (a) new road building projects and (b) road maintenance for each of the last five years. [36536]
Mr. Norris:
Allocations to Cheshire for new road building projects and principal road maintenance are as follows:
Defects in some of the welding and some lack of fit were found in steelwork to some of the bridges but I am pleased to say that all the defects have now been put right. All but a very small number of weld defects were repaired prior to the opening of the motorway to traffic. Those repairs carried out after the opening involved minor traffic management at Pilning Roundabout, which did not affect traffic flows.
| New roads | Road maintenance | |
|---|---|---|
| 1992-93 | 16.169 | 4.480 |
| 1993-94 | 13.995 | 7.520 |
| 1994-95 | 12.325 | 5.429 |
| 1995-96 | 16.728 | 4.915 |
| 1996-97 | 17.820 | 3.090 |
My Department funds only structural maintenance of principal roads. Most central Government support for highway maintenance expenditure comes from the Department of the Environment through the local government finance system.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the budget allocated to Cheshire county council by his Department for (a) street lighting improvements and (b) traffic calming measures for each of the last five years. [36537]
Mr. Norris:
None of the resources that my Department has allocated to Cheshire county council in the last five years has been specifically targeted on street lighting or traffic calming. It is for the council to decide the proportion of its minor works, packages and local safety scheme allocations it wishes to spend on these services.
Allocations to Cheshire for minor works, packages and local safety schemes in the last five years are as follows:
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which driving theory test centres have been set up within 20 miles of another centre serving a district whose population density is between 1,250 persons per square kilometre and 100 persons per square kilometre. [36298]
10 Jul 1996 : Column: 203
Mr. Norris:
The table lists driving theory test centres located within 20 miles of a centre situated in a district with a population density between 1,250 and 100 persons per square kilometre.
1992-93: £0.529 million
1993-94: £1.017 million
1994-95: £0.940 million
1995-96: £1,286 million
1996-97: £1.284 million
| Theory test centres in districts with population density between 100-1,250 persons per sq kilometre | Other theory test centre within 20 miles |
|---|---|
| Basingstoke | Reading, Aldershot |
| Chelmsford | Harlow, Basildon, Southend |
| Chester | Runcorn, St. Helens, Liverpool, Birkenhead |
| Colchester | Ipswich |
| Dunfermline | Stirling, Edinburgh |
| Durham | Sunderland, Newcastle |
| Greenock | Clydebank |
| Guildford | Crawley, Slough, Aldershot, Kingston |
| Harrogate | Leeds, York, Bradford |
| Merthyr Tydfil | Newport, Cardiff |
| Milton Keynes | Luton, Northampton |
| Motherwell | Clydebank, Glasgow |
| Newport | Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil |
| Preston | Blackpool, Southport, Wigan, Bolton |
| Rhyl | Birkenhead |
| Solihull | Stratford, Coventry, Redditch, Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield, Dudley, Wolverhampton |
| Stratford | Redditch, Coventry, Solihull |
| Taunton | Yeovil |
| Yeovil | Taunton |
Windscreen Insurance Discs
Mr. French: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he is studying the advantages of windscreen insurance discs; and what progress she has made. [36389]
Mr. Norris: We are awaiting the results of the insurance industry's study of the comparative benefits of various measures to tackle motor insurance evasion before reaching any conclusion.
Sleeping Policemen
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the extent to which the increased use of sleeping policemen has affected response times of the emergency services. [36237]
Mr. Norris: Departmental guidance to local highway authorities has been to introduce less severe speed reduction measures along relevant routes. Speed cushions have become increasingly chosen for such routes, and the Road Hump Regulations 1996 (SI 1483), have been written to encompass their design and use. In 1994, to minimise the effect that traffic calming may have on emergency service response times, a code of practice for fire and ambulance services traffic calming was agreed. The Department of Transport, in conjunction with the Joint Committee on Fire Brigade Operations, the Department of Health's ambulance policy advisory group and the local authority associations, commends the code to its members.
10 Jul 1996 : Column: 204
Road Traffic Casualties
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list the number of road traffic casualties in (a) Crewe and Nantwich and (b) Cheshire for each of the last five years; [36538]
- (2) if he will list the number of road traffic casualties involving (a) buses and coaches and (b) heavy goods vehicles in (i) Crewe and Nantwich and (ii) Cheshire for each of the last five years. [36539]
Mr. Norris: The information is shown in the following table.
| 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheshire | |||||
| Bus and coach | 71 | 73 | 82 | 163 | 156 |
| HGVs | 118 | 88 | 102 | 124 | 103 |
| All casualties | 5,361 | 5,516 | 5,712 | 6,349 | 6,648 |
| Crewe and Nantwich | |||||
| Bus and coach | 3 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 9 |
| HGVs | 5 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 12 |
| All casualties | 538 | 591 | 615 | 596 | 639 |
Exhaust Emissions
Mr. Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with whom he has discussed the effect of European Commission plans to cut exhaust emissions of vehicles on new car prices and costs to petrol and diesel fuel vehicle users; and if he will make a statement. [36000]
Mr. Norris: Regular discussions are held between this Department and other Government Departments and also motor and oil industry organisations as to the implications of new European Union proposals affecting vehicle and fuel standards.
Taxi Fares
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent in meeting the costs of taxi cab fares in the 1995-96 financial year. [36016]
Mr. Norris: Separate records of taxi cab fares are not maintained.
Regional Bus Monopolies
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to prevent the creation of private sector regional bus monopolies. [36038]
Mr. Norris: The Government believe that concentration in the bus industry is properly regulated through the general competition law regime, principally merger control. Mergers are considered on their merits by the competition authorities to determine whether there are competition issues that should be addressed.
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