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Train Drivers
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Health and Safety Executive last examined the (a) hours of work and (b) conditions of service of train drivers; and if he will make a statement. [19653]
Mr. Watts: Hours of work and other conditions of service are primarily matters for agreement between employers and staff. However, excessive hours of work on the railways which could pose a danger to safety are subject to the Railways (Safety Critical Work) Regulations and an associated approved code of practice. As part of its responsibility for enforcing these regulations, the Health and Safety Executive keeps train drivers hours of work under review. A train operating company wishing to change drivers' hours of work has to submit a material revision of its safety case to the infrastructure controller for acceptance, and any revisions which are accepted are sent to the HSE before they can take effect.
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the recommendations of (a) the Rail Industry Advisory Commission and (b) the Parliamentary Advisory Committee on Transport on train drivers' hours; and if he will make a statement. [19694]
Mr. Watts: The Health and Safety Executive published an approved code of practice--ACOP--on hours of work for safety critical staff on the railways on 1 November 1996, which is contained in updated guidance on the Railway (Safety Critical Work) Regulations 1994. The ACOP was developed in co-operation with the Commission's Railway Industry Advisory Committee and comments were received from the Parliamentary Advisory Committee on Transport and others, during consultation on proposals for the ACOP.
The ACOP's principal recommendations are that employers should (i) set limits on the hours of work of their safety critical staff and ensure those limits are observed (ii) carry out a risk assessment before increasing existing limits on hours or work or making any significant change to an existing working time pattern--for example, to a system of shift working--and (iii) monitor safety performance after a change has been made, to confirm that there are no adverse effects on safety.
Mr. Llwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has recently commissioned into the relationship between train drivers' hours and conditions of work and accidents; and if he will make a statement. [19652]
Mr. Watts:
The Health and Safety Executive's railway inspectorate is currently co-sponsor with Railtrack and the British Railways Board of research into safety related incidents and the point at which they occur during a shift. The research will consider signals passed at danger and personal accidents. This work is continuing and it is too early to report any results.
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HSE has recently commissioned a research project aimed at validating an improved method of assessing the risks of fatigue associated with the hours of work of staff undertaking safety critical work on the railways, including train drivers.
Mr. Donohoe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department and its executive agencies have spent drafting, publishing and circulating each of their customer charters and customer standard documents; and how many copies of each document have been issued. [19392]
Mr. Bowis:
Estimates provided by the respective agencies and by the Department are as follows:
| Name | Estimated cost of production and circulation (£) | Numbers of document issued |
|---|---|---|
| Central Transport Group(10)1 | 1,000 | 4,000 |
| Driving Standards Agency(11) | 11,331 | 200,000 |
| Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency(12) | 120,000 pa | 14,500,000 |
| Highways Agency(13) | 206,000 | 1,120,000 |
| Marine Safety Agency(14) | 12,990 | 16,000 |
| The Coastguard Agency(15) | 13,650 | 70,000 |
| Vehicle Inspectorate(16) | 12,412 | 80,500 |
| Vehicle Certification Agency(17) | 2,170 | 4,000 |
(10) CTG estimate for "Serving the Public."
(11) 1 DSA figures for 1996-97 Customer Charter and leaflet "If things go Wrong" which do not include drafting costs.
(12) 2 DVLA 1996-97 figures for Customer Service Guide which do not include drafting costs.
(13) 3 HA 1994 and 1996 Road Users Charter and Charter Statement.
(14) 4 MSA Codes of Practice.
(15) 5 TCA 1995-96 and 1996-97 figures for Charter statements which do not include drafting and circulation costs.
(16) 6 VI Standard of service leaflets from 1994 onwards: MOT Customers, Vehicle Testing, Training, MOT Enforcement, Roadworthiness Enforcement and Vehicle Testing. These figures do not include drafting costs, or circulation costs as the leaflets were distributed via the current circulation system.
(17) 7 VCA Customer Service Guide and Code of Practice.
Automatic Train Protector System
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many locomotives were fitted with the automatic train protector system in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement; [19695]
- (2) where the locomotives fitted with the automatic train protector system are operating. [19659]
Mr. Watts: Automatic train protection--ATP--is currently installed on the Docklands light railway, the channel tunnel and the London underground. ATP is in use on the Great Western and Chiltern railway lines as pilot schemes.
Information on the number of vehicles fitted with ATP in each year since 1990 would be available only at disproportionate cost.
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Mr. Matthew Banks:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set up a motorcycle strategy group. [19565]
Mr. Bowis:
The Government intend to establish a motorcycling strategy group, which I shall chair, to produce a report on matters affecting motorcyclists and other road users, including safety and environmental issues. This will build on the statement of policy issued by the Government last November, copies of which are available in the Library. It will be set up in the summer and report next spring.
Mr. Andrew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the privatisation proceeds for London underground will be available for use by (a) his Department and (b) the Treasury. [19890]
Mr. Bowis:
Receipts from privatisation will be recycled in order to ensure that the modernisation of the underground's infrastructure is completed as quickly as possible. The majority of any remaining surplus will be channelled into additional support for London underground or for other transport projects. The remainder will go to the Exchequer. Exact proportions cannot sensibly be estimated at this early stage.
Benefit Fraud
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of local initiatives to encourage the reporting of benefit fraud. [17853]
Mr. Heald: The Benefits Agency has run 42 "Spotlight on Benefit Cheats" local campaigns against benefit fraud. These have been given extensive local publicity, including encouraging claimants to call a freephone number to report suspicions of benefit fraud. A total of 14,000 referrals were received in the first phase of Spotlight alone, and the national benefit fraud hotline, launched last August, built on this success and to date received over 160,000 calls. The savings from the Spotlight campaigns now exceed £100 million.
Incapacity Benefit
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if a person is refused incapacity benefit and appeals against this decision, in what circumstances the income support he receives in the meantime is reduced. [19633]
Mr. Burt: A person who is appealing against a decision that he is not incapable of work under the all work test can qualify for income support at a reduced rate until the appeal is determined. The reduced rate does not apply to a person who can qualify for income support on other grounds, for example, lone parents, nor does it apply to people who claim jobseeker's allowance.
Pensioner Incomes
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 25 February, Official
12 Mar 1997 : Column: 256
Report
Mr. Heald: The necessary longitudinal information is not available.
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the number of pensioners who will be in receipt of (a) basic pension guarantee, (b) income support and (c) other means-tested benefits in (i) 2040, (ii) 2050, (iii) 2060 and (iv) 2070 under the basic pension plus proposals. [19903]
Mr. Heald: The figure of around £10 billion per annum for possible expenditure on the basic pension guarantee, given in the technical note, is a very broad estimate. It is not possible to say what precise numbers of pensioners could qualify for some guaranteed payments at such a distant date. We do not expect the number of pensioners in receipt of income support and other means-tested benefits to rise as a result of basic pension plus.
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