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Aircraft (Disabled Access)
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what measures he has taken to ensure that all aircraft in public service are accessible to people with disabilities. [63397]
Ms Glenda Jackson: My Department is leading discussions at European level to draw up common standards of access to air services for disabled people. We are also involved in similar discussions at the International level.
With our statutory advisers, the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, and the Access to the Skies Committee, we are working too with the air industry in this country, to improve their understanding of the needs of disabled people and to encourage better provision of facilities to meet those needs.
Channel Tunnel--Liverpool Link
Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the new proposals from Central Railway for opening a railway line between Liverpool and the Channel Tunnel. [63475]
Ms Glenda Jackson: Ministers have seen only the consultation documents which Central Railway recently issued. We have therefore not taken a view on the scheme.
Brown-field Sites
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his Department's definition of brown-field sites. [63615]
Mr. Raynsford: There is no specific definition of "brownfield" land. However, it is usually taken to mean land previously developed for 'urban' uses. For statistical purposes, as defined by the Department's Land Use Change Statistics, "previously-developed urban" uses include residential, transport and utilities, industry and commerce, community services, previously-developed vacant land and derelict land. Land is classified according to its use and not its location, therefore the 'urban' use can occur in rural areas.
Information on land that may be available for redevelopment is currently being collected in order to compile the first phase of the National Land Use Database. The scope of this is wider than the definition of previously-developed land used in Land Use Change Statistics.
14 Dec 1998 : Column: 312
Mr. Austin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of open-top sightseeing buses operating in London per day and of the average payload per bus in each of the last 12 months. [63682]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
This information is not held centrally.
Mr. Gardiner:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will provide a breakdown of the changes to the criteria for calculating the other education SSA block in the local government settlements for 1999-2000. [63830]
Ms Armstrong:
The national total for the Other Education SSA for 1999-2000 has been decided in consultation with the Secretary of State for Education and Employment. The same indicators are used to distribute the other education SSA in 1999-2000 as were used in 1998-99. The unit costs for each indicator have been adjusted to take account of rescaling the unit costs to reflect the overall total of other education SSA for 1999-2000 and any updating of the data used in the calculations. In addition, a small correction has been made to the population data for 1991 used in the underlying statistical analyses.
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received from national motorway and road haulage organisations concerning the A14 in Cambridgeshire; and if he will make a statement. [63527]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
We consulted very widely on our Integrated Transport Policy and Review of Trunk Roads and received a large number of comments. Organisations at national, regional and local level made it clear the problems in the Cambridge-Huntingdon area were very severe and the need for solutions was seen as a very high priority.
John Bridge, Chairman of the Road Haulage Association, met with the Highways Agency's Chief Executive, Lawrie Haynes, and John Pearman, the Area Manager, on 8 September to press the case for an early start to the multi-modal A14 study.
Improvements to the A14 north of Cambridge were withdrawn by the previous administration and proposed improvements between the M11, Junction 14 and the A1/A14 junction had not even reached public consultation stage so they were not contenders for the Targeted Investment Programme that we announced in July. We are proposing to carry out a multi-modal study of the Cambridge-Huntingdon Corridor to bring forward a comprehensive solution to the problems including looking at the potential for transfer of traffic on to other modes. Confirmation of this study was given last week and a provisional date for its start is 2000-01; this timing, as with the timing of all multi-modal studies arising from the roads review, is subject to progress on consultation with the regional planning conference.
14 Dec 1998 : Column: 313
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what reports he has received from the Highways Agency concerning recent fatal accidents on the A14 in Cambridgeshire; and if he will make a statement. [63529]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The Highways Agency has the facts available on all personal injury accidents. There is in place a system of reporting the most serious incidents to Ministers. The recent fatal accident reported on this basis covers the accident at Lolworth on 18 November.
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will institute contingency plans for the design and routing of an upgrade of the A14 in Cambridgeshire, pending the outcome of multi-modal study for that traffic corridor. [63526]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The Secretary of State has a statutory duty to review the needs of the network. We have already identified a number of safety related improvements for the Huntingdon to Cambridge section of the A14 which stem from a specific earlier study exercise. The Highways Agency will be implementing these measures by the Spring of 1999.
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has held with the standing conference of East Anglian local authorities on terms of reference for a multi-modal study of the A14 corridor in Cambridgeshire. [63530]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The Government Office of the Eastern Region is working closely with the Standing Conference of East Anglian Local Authorities (SCEALA) on the technical work leading to the public exhibition of the Draft Regional Planning Guidance for East Anglia, which takes place in February. On 10 December we published our formal consultation with the Regional planning conference on the study programme announced in "A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England". This consultation seeks the Conference's views on the timing, coverage, and scope of the studies. The consultation paper proposes that the Cambridge-Huntingdon study should fall in the second tranche of multi-modal studies. There is a wide range of issues in the corridor including congestion, safety, environment, possible road, bus and rail proposals as well as proposals for significant development that will have to form part of any broad assessment of potential transport solutions.
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what safety improvements on the A14 in Cambridgeshire have been commissioned by the Highways Agency. [63535]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The whole of the A14 (from M6 to Felixstowe) is being considered as an integral route. As part of that a package of measures along the length of the A14 in Cambridgeshire is being progressed:
14 Dec 1998 : Column: 314
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what studies he has evaluated concerning the potential for improvements in safety on the A14 in Cambridgeshire; and what action he proposes to take on those studies. [63531]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
Studies and improvements can be broken down into three distinct lengths, working from east to west as follows:
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what increase in (a) noise and (b) pollutant emissions has occurred along the A14 in the last five years. [63528]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
No readings are available to determine the increase in noise and pollution.
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his estimate of the growth of (a) HGV traffic and (b) all road traffic on the A14 between Huntingdon and Cambridge in the last three years. [63533]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
Over the last three years the total growth in traffic on this section of the A14 has been recorded as follows:
14 Dec 1998 : Column: 315
West of A1 conversion of four existing single level junctions to two level;
Between Huntingdon and Cambridge--package of safety measures as described in my answer today to PQ63531, at column 314;
between Cambridge and Newmarket--package of safety measures as described in my answer today to PQ63531, at column 314.
(a) The Highways Agency is carrying out studies to identify what safety improvements can be made to the Histon (B1049) and Milton (A10) interchanges north of Cambridge. As an interim measure, the Agency is providing 'queue warning signs' on both carriageways of the trunk road approaching each junction. The signs will be in place by the end of January 1999.
(b) In 1995 a study was commissioned from consulting engineers, Thorburn Colquhoun, to investigate accidents and congestion on the A14 between Huntingdon and Cambridge. This study suggested measures that could be taken to improve safety on the A14. The first stage of these improvements was carried out in 1995-96 when speed cameras were provided to help reduce traffic speeds. Since that time, and from that study, the Highways Agency has further developed a strategy of safety related improvement measures which will shortly be implemented. These focus on particular problems at specific locations which will be carried out by Spring 1999:
(i) Improvement to various junctions by small scale widening, replacing existing chevrons with yellow backed signs, install bend warning signs with advisory speed limits, laying anti-skid at the ends of the diverge tapers and providing countdown markers on the approaches to the diverge tapers;
(ii) Improvements within Girton Interchange to improve lane discipline and the flow of traffic;
(iii) The construction of an acceleration lane to Hemingford Abbots eastbound carriageway.
(c) Further studies are already in place to look at additional safety improvements at various locations;
(d) Schemes are being prepared to change four existing single level junctions to two level between Thrapston and Brampton. They comprise the provision of bridges with full connections to the A14 at Polopit Road, the B663, Leighton Bromswold and Wooley/Easton junctions together with an overbridge at Chainbridge Lane. The Little Meadow crossing will be closed and alternative access arrangements for land and property owners made. All other central reserve gaps will be closed and the present footpath/bridleway crossing diverted to the proposed structures. All direct access points will be closed and alternative means of access put in place.
(a) HGV traffic--approximately 7.5 per cent.
(b) All vehicles--approximately 9.0 per cent.
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