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Moroccan Aircraft
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many inspections were undertaken on Moroccan registered aircraft flying to or from the United Kingdom in the last available year. [5651]
Passenger Transport Local Factor Requirements
Mr. Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how load factor requirements in passenger service requirements will be monitored. [6010]
Mr. Watts: Franchisees are required to demonstrate that capacity levels are not exceeded by means of passenger counts. Franchisees are required to carry out passenger counts when so requested by the Franchising Director, subject to a maximum of two counts in any 12 month period and a minimum of one count in any 15-month period. The counts must be designed to ensure that the results are typical of demand on the services being monitored for that time of year and day of the week. The methods for undertaking the surveys must be approved by the Franchising Director, and the results are subject to audit by the Franchising Director.
Mr. Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what sanctions will apply against rail franchise operators exceeding load factor requirements. [6011]
Mr. Watts: Where load factors are specified in the passenger service requirement, failure of the franchise operator to use all reasonable endeavours to provide sufficient capacity so as not to exceed the load factor specifications will constitute a breach of the franchise agreement. If there is a breach of the franchise agreement, the Franchising Director may serve an enforcement order requiring compliance. Failure to comply is an event of default.
Air Bags
Mr. French: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what conclusion she has reached about the safety of air bags in passenger vehicles; and if he will make a statement. [5571]
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Mr. Bowis: Air bags can supplement the protection given by seat belts in severe frontal collisions but seat belts remain the key safety feature in these and a much wider variety of accidents.
However, evidence from the United States, where the seat belt wearing rate is low compared with the UK, continues to show that injuries can be caused when an occupant is too close to an airbag when it deploys. This highlights two points:
The motor industry has agreed to label cars to alert motorists to this danger and we are continuing to press for this action to be as effective as possible. The situation is being kept under review.
the importance of wearing a seat belt;
the extreme danger of using a rearfacing child restraint in a front passenger seat where an airbag is fitted In an accident, the inflating air bag can strike the child seat with such force that the child will almost certainly receive serious or fatal head injuries.
European Union
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the cost in the last 12 months of sending Ministers and officials to meetings in Brussels and elsewhere in Europe in connection with his Department's handling of EU business. [4950]
Sir George Young: The cost of attendance by Department of Transport Ministers and officials at EC Transport Councils during the period 14 November 1995 to 14 November 1996 was £17,607.
The cost of attendance by departmental officials at other EC meetings during the same period can be obtained only at disproportionate costs.
HGV Drivers (Working Hours)
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many hours per day long-distance heavy goods vehicle drivers will be permitted to drive their vehicles under the proposed 48 hours per week work rules. [6248]
Mr. Bowis: The transport sector is excluded from the provisions of the working time directive. Existing Community and national legislation on driving time and rest periods is therefore not affected.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent in public money in each year since 1993 on tendering costs for the private finance initiative, broken down by (a) consultants' and (b) other costs. [5755]
Mr. Watts: Information regarding tendering costs for DBFO--design, build, finance and operate--roads projects is being provided separately by the chief executive of the Highways Agency in response to the hon. Member's question relating specifically to those projects. Information relating to the other PFI transport projects is not readily available, particularly in cases where my Department is not the project promoter, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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A1 Dualling
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list all dual carriageway schemes approved on the A1 between Newcastle and the Scottish border since 1992, indicating the location, the estimated start and completion dates and the value of the contract involved; [5541]
- (2) if he will make a statement on his current policy on the proposed upgrading of the A1 to dual carriageway standard between Newcastle and the Scottish border; and what dual carriageway improvements are currently under consideration on the A1 between Newcastle and the Scottish border. [5542]
Mr. Watts: I toured this section of the A1 in July of this year. The Marshall Meadow, tender cost £2.18 million, and Brownieside--£3.49 million--improvement schemes were completed in 1993. The Willowburn-Denwick improvement remains in the programme.
In addition to these major schemes, a comprehensive programme of low cost safety schemes has been undertaken over the last few years. We continue to assess the needs of the route to identify sections where further improvements including sections of dual carriageway to provide safer opportunities for overtaking could be taken forward.
Roads (Stonehenge)
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have held concerning the leasing of land from the National Trust for the construction of a dual carriageway at Stonehenge; and if he will make a statement. [5544]
Mr. Watts: None. Those routes discussed at the planning conference in November 1995 which would pass through National Trust land were not supported by the conference. We have announced our intention to proceed with identifying a bypass for Winterbourne Stoke.
Rail Investment
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he has given to the Rail Regulator in relation to levels of investment in (a) the rolling stock companies and (b) Railtrack. [5749]
Road Privatisation
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to privatise the national roads network. [5759]
Accidents (Children)
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what was the number of child accidents broken down by (a) casualties and (b) fatalities in a half-mile radius of school gates for the year 1971 and each year since 1979; [5762]
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- (2) what was the number of child accidents, broken down by (a) casualties and (b) fatalities in the vicinity of school gates for the year 1971 and each year since 1979. [5761]
Mr. Bowis: The information requested about the proximity of child accidents in relation to their schools is not collected in the national road accident reporting system.
Traffic Management
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies he is undertaking to assess the implications of handing over strategic traffic management to private companies from the police; and if he will make a statement. [5760]
Mr. Watts: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge (Sir M. Shersby) on 25 November 1996, Official Report, column 63.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what public financial provision has been made for future liability in private finance initiative transport projects. [5754]
Mr. Watts: Aggregate projections of the level of public sector expenditure expected to arise from signed PFI contracts, including those in the transport sector, is being published today in the 1997-98 "Financial Statement and Budget Report".
Rail Franchises
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what public financial provision has been made in case of failure of rail franchises. [5753]
Mr. Watts: The Franchising Director has required each franchisee to fund a performance bond which he can call in in the event of franchise failure. Therefore no specific public provision for franchise failure has been made.
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