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Integrated Transport
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the timetable for the publication of the daughter documents of the White Paper on integrated transport. [62417]
Ms Glenda Jackson: The Government have today issued their consultation document on road user charging and the workplace parking levy. The remaining daughter documents--papers on shipping, buses, sustainable distribution, road safety and inland waterways--will follow within the next few months. We will also be issuing a paper on ports policy, and confirming guidance on local transport plans, following up the draft guidance currently out to consultation. In addition, a strategy to encourage walking, produced by the Walking Steering Group, will be published by the Department early in the New Year.
Rail Users Consultative Committees
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to increase powers available to the rail users consultative committees; and if he will make a statement. [62430]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
A New Deal for the Railways (Cm 4024) announced that, subject to legislation, sponsorship of the Rail Users' Consultative Committees will be transferred from the Rail Regulator to the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA). In future, the Committees will have explicit new powers to report perceived breaches of franchise agreements to the SRA, not just breaches of passenger and station licences. In addition, the Committees' remit will be extended to any open access operators (i.e. to passenger
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services not provided under franchise agreements). We will ensure that the Committees include a wide cross-section of passengers, and want them to co-operate with bus user representative bodies and to contribute jointly to the development of the regional transport strategies which will form part of Regional Planning Guidance.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to ensure that staff reductions by train operating companies do not lead to compromises in safety. [62434]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
Under the Railways Safety Case Regulations 1994, arrangements for operations or maintenance must be set out in a train operator's Railway Safety Case. Railway Safety Cases and any subsequent revisions have to be accepted by the Infrastructure controller or the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) before operations or revised operations can commence. Reductions in staffing levels would require amendment to a Railway Safety Case where this might affect safety. HSE monitors compliance with the Regulations and will take whatever action it considers appropriate (including enforcement action, if necessary) to ensure safety is not compromised.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the circumstances under which franchise agreements with train operating companies can be renegotiated; which franchises have been so renegotiated; and if he will make a statement. [62438]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The Deputy Prime Minister has said that the books are open for renegotiating franchises in order to secure improved services for passengers. An announcement about how we will seek additional benefits through renegotiation will be made in due course.
The Franchising Director already has scope to negotiate additional commitments from franchisees. Where contravention of the franchise agreement has a materially adverse effect on passengers, the Franchising Director's Objectives, Instructions and Guidance, given to him in November 1997, require him to seek to secure contractual undertakings from the franchisee which will provide additional benefits as compensation for passengers. Where agreement has been sought to transfer control of a franchise to another party, the Franchising Director can also seek benefits for passengers. Substantial new commitments and changes to franchises negotiated by the Franchising Director since the Minister of Transport gave him new Objectives, Instructions and Guidance in November 1977 are shown in the table.
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Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what percentage of persons of pensionable age currently have access to a concessionary fares bus pass. [62419]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
I understand that 11 local authorities have no concessionary fare scheme for their resident pensioners. The number of pensioners in those local authority areas represents about 2.6 per cent. of the total number of pensioners in England.
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Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of concessionary fare bus passes (a) currently issued and (b) which will be issued when the nationwide £5 bus pass is introduced; and if he will make a statement. [62418]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
No such estimate can be made, because my Department does not hold statistics on the number of passes issued; that is a matter for the individual local authorities concerned. Without that information it is
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not possible to calculate any likely change in numbers of passes issued due to our proposal for a national minimum standard for concessionary fares for pensioners, based on a £5 bus pass and half fares on buses.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will estimate the extra cost to the public purse from the introduction of a nationwide concessionary fare bus pass at (a) £5 and (b) £10 assuming (i) a continuation of the present number of passes issued and (ii) his estimate of the increased number of passes which might be issued. [62420]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
It is not possible to give such an estimate, because the cost and the number of passes issued would depend not only on the price of the pass, but also on the level of concessionary fare with which the pass was associated.
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