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Transport Networks

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make it his policy to evaluate networks of transport on a regional basis; and what proposals he has had from the Professor of European Economics in the University of Kent on this topic. [71111]

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Ms Glenda Jackson: Under the new arrangements published on Monday 15 February, in draft Planning Policy Guidance Note 11 (PPG 11) on "Regional Planning", major transport network improvements are to be planned as part of the overall regional transport infrastructure, taking all modes into account. Regional planning bodies will be in the lead in this, working with the Government Offices and transport operators, providers and users.

I am unaware of any representations on this topic from the Professor of European Economics in the University of Kent.

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Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what studies he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated of how advanced technology and better information could help to make possible more seamless journeys using different modes of transport. [71113]

Ms Glenda Jackson: The following reports contain the results of studies commissioned by my Department which address aspects of the contribution of advanced technology and/or better information to improving travel by different transport modes.

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Study	Report
The potential benefits of road transport telematics	TRL Report 220 1996
Institutional and financial aspects of traveller information systems	WS Atkins 1997
Review of technologies for moving people in cities	UCL Centre for Transport Studies 1997
Review of telematics relevant to public transport	TRL Report 342 1998
Transport Interchange--Best Practice	Colin Buchanan and Partners 1998

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Work is going on in a number of different projects to help local authorities and others make use of these results. For example, the Department is supporting work to assist local authorities identify and plan for the deployment of new transport technologies. We are also part funding research to enable electronic journey planning systems to communicate with each other automatically so facilitating 'seamless' journeys.

The Department has not undertaken any recent work purely to evaluate studies on this subject by other organisations. Account was however taken of such studies as appropriate in the commissions referred to.

Road Building Programme

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what account he takes of the predicted growth of road traffic in determining the road building programme. [71114]

Ms Glenda Jackson: Our recent Roads Review was conducted against the high levels of predicted traffic growth forecast. Forecasts of the effects of schemes were an important part of the Review, but we did not follow a "predict and provide" approach. We have moved away from exclusive reliance on road building by looking at other, more sustainable ways of tackling traffic problems, finding ways of making better use of the existing trunk road network along with a smaller, targeted programme of improvement schemes where these have been proved to be necessary.

Families (Average Space Occupied)

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what data his Department has collated on the average amount of space occupied per family in the United Kingdom in 1999; and if he will make a statement on past trends in this respect. [71115]

Mr. Raynsford: Floor space data for dwellings in England are collected through the English House Condition Survey, which is carried out every 5 years. The most recent survey was carried out in 1996. This shows

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that households had 84 sqm on average in England. This is little different from 1991 when the average was about 81 sqm.

Countryside Agency

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) when the new Countryside Agency is scheduled to begin work; [72674]

(2) if he will list the Chairman, Deputy Chairman and board members of the new Countryside Agency. [72676]

Mr. Meacher: The Countryside Agency will come into existence on 1 April 1999. Work to establish the Agency successfully has been going on for some time, led by a Merger Steering Group comprising the Chairmen, board members and Chief Executives of the two existing Commissions.

We will make an announcement about the Chairman, Deputy Chairman and board members of the Agency shortly.

British Airways

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he last met representatives of British Airways; what was discussed; what help his Department is receiving from British Airways, and if British Airways is financially sponsoring initiatives run by his Department or its agencies. [72809]

Dr. Reid: I and my officials are in regular contact with representatives of all those with an interest in aviation. It is not normal practice of Governments to give details of specific meetings with private individuals or companies.

Other than advice relating to official correspondence in relation to passenger services, this Department receives no help from British Airways. Neither am I aware of any initiative of this Department which receives financial support from British Airways.

Road Accidents

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he

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has made of the number of (a) deaths and (b) serious accidents on the roads which are due to snow or icy road conditions. [72706]

Dr. Reid: Information on the cause of road accidents is not available. However, the numbers of reported accidents occurring on icy or snowy road surfaces are contained in the following table:

Number of casualties

	Year of accident
Severity	1995	1996	1997
	Casualties on snowy or icy road surface
Fatal	77	87	43
Serious	1,206	1,363	612
Slight	7,323	9,654	4,414
Total	8,606	11,104	5,069
Accidents on snowy or icy road surface
Fatal	69	81	41
Serious	993	1,136	526
Slight	5,188	6,949	3,115
Total	6,250	8,166	3,682

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Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the number of (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries on roads for each month of the last five years. [72709]

Dr. Reid: The information requested is shown in the following table:

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Fatal and serious casualties by month: Great Britain 1993-97Casualties

Severity	January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December
1993
Fatal	312	252	286	289	341	270	326	290	331	351	384	382
Serious	3,515	3,087	3,417	3,546	3,978	3,837	3,955	3,745	3,868	3,962	3,890	4,209
1994
Fatal	341	267	270	245	255	293	304	295	331	321	365	363
Serious	3,863	3,273	3,616	3,552	3,619	3,820	4,121	3,914	3,885	4,319	4,171	4,378
1995
Fatal	290	267	271	250	259	306	325	354	288	321	345	345
Serious	3,484	3,164	3,673	3,541	3,624	3,822	3,950	4,106	4,121	4,068	4,141	3,829
1996
Fatal	282	249	259	287	256	281	294	342	325	327	316	380
Serious	3,418	3,270	3,279	3,413	3,604	3,635	3,710	4,054	3,881	4,248	4,175	3,786
1997
Fatal	251	290	264	313	292	289	304	320	291	321	354	310
Serious	3,137	3,196	3,556	3,367	3,595	3,633	3,867	3,785	3,362	3,924	3,848	3,697

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Pollution (London)

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what information he has collated on pollution in London caused by (a) buses and (b) cars. [72673]

Dr. Reid: The London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory, prepared by the London Research Centre, indicates that in 1995, emissions from buses and cars in London were as described in the following table. All figures are given in terms of tonnes of pollutant per annum.

	Buses	Cars
Nitrogen oxides	5,464	64,091
Fine particulate matter (PM 1 standard spending assessment. [71589]

Ms Armstrong: We have no plans for such a review.

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