| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Aircraft Safety
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make his Department responsible for monitoring the response to, and actions following, the safety recommendations made by its Air Accident Investigation Branch; and if he will make a statement. [90416]
Ms Glenda Jackson: The Air Accident Investigation Branch and the CAA's Safety Regulation Group are independent of each other. Legislation requires investigation of aviation accidents and serious incidents to be carried out by an organisation independent of the regulator. It is the responsibility of the Safety Regulation Group to maintain and enhance standards of aviation safety, taking into account among other things recommendations made by the Air Accident Investigation Branch.
Capital Investment Programme
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list his Department's capital investment programme for the years 1996 to 2002 under the headings (a) railways, (b) national motorway and trunk road network and (c) local transport. [90963]
Ms Glenda Jackson
[holding answer 12 July 1999]: The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions Departmental Investment Strategy, published in
15 Jul 1999 : Column: 294
April 1999, set out the major elements of public sector investment anticipated as a result of the resources allocated to the Department following the comprehensive spending review. The following table illustrates capital investment generated through and related to the DETR programmes and policies for railways, national motorway and trunk roads, and local transport. investment prior to 1998-99 is given as an average figure.
| (a) | (b) | (c) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Railways (4) | Motorways and trunk roads (4) | Local transport | |
| Average 1993-94 to 1997-98 | n/a | 1,457 | 894 |
| 1998-99 | 1,900 | 1,121 | 623 |
| 1999-2000 | 2,894 | 1,119 | 641 |
| 2000-01 | 2,612 | 1,166 | 724 |
| 2001-02 | 2,555 | 1,245 | 1,016 |
(4) Including for (a) and (b) PPP/PFI generated investment
Rural Public Transport
Dan Norris:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much Government money has been invested in initiatives to improve rural public transport in (a) Bath and North East Somerset and (b) South Gloucestershire, since May 1997. [91159]
15 Jul 1999 : Column: 295
Ms Glenda Jackson:
In his March 1998 Budget, the Chancellor made available an additional £50 million a year to assist public transport in rural areas. The bulk of these extra resources is being used to provide additional bus services. We allocated £139,970 to Bath and North East Somerset and £191,415 to South Gloucestershire in Rural Bus Subsidy Grant for 1998-99. We have allocated the same amounts to both authorities for 1999-2000. In addition, both authorities submitted successful bids under the 1998 Rural Bus Challenge competition. Bath and North East Somerset were allocated £34,600 for a project to improve lighting at bus stops in rural areas, while South Gloucestershire were allocated £612,000 for a project to develop three community transport co-ordination centres.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his policy in respect of the addition of bull bars to motor vehicles. [90728]
Ms Glenda Jackson
[holding answer 13 July 1999]: Following a consultation exercise on the possibility of taking action on the bull bar issue, we are now in the process of identifying how best to take matters forward. As a part of this process we have asked the Transport Research Laboratory to do some test work comparing a range of bull bars and base vehicles.
We are also awaiting the opportunity to examine the detail of a European Commission proposal for a pedestrian protection Directive, which we understand will be put forward later this year. As well as making car fronts safer, such a Directive could provide a Europe-wide mechanism for preventing aggressive bull bars being fitted to vehicles to make them more pedestrian friendly. Increasing the pedestrian friendliness of cars has the potential to reduce significantly the numbers of vulnerable road users who are killed and injured each year.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what initiatives his Department has introduced to reduce car tax evasion on Merseyside; and if he will make a statement on their progress. [91211]
Ms Glenda Jackson
[holding answer 13 July 1999]: The main responsibility for enforcement action against unlicensed vehicles rests with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. The police and traffic wardens in the Merseyside area provide the Agency with reports on unlicensed vehicles seen on the public road. Last year, the Agency took successful enforcement action against some 25,000 evaders in the Merseyside area, bringing in over £2.9 million in fines and penalties. In addition, the Agency and the police conduct campaigns periodically against road tax evaders. These take the form of extensive localised publicity to encourage motorists to relicense their vehicles, or risk being caught in subsequent police checks. The last such campaign in Merseyside was run in March of this year, and resulted in around £0.3 million recovered in additional revenue.
The Agency also operates a permanent wheelclamping operation in Merseyside as part of a national scheme. The scheme has proved to be very successful in encouraging
15 Jul 1999 : Column: 296
motorists to relicense their vehicles. Since its introduction in Merseyside in November 1997, almost 2,000 vehicles have been clamped. Some 50 per cent. of these have been left unclaimed and disposed of. The initial publicity of the scheme led to the recover of £0.5 million in additional revenue.
Further initiatives aimed at reducing the level of vehicle excise duty evasion include measures to improve the quality of the vehicle register and to make it more difficult for motorists to drop out of the licensing system. Planning is being done for the introduction of camera systems in Merseyside and the rest of the country to detect and deter evasion.
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's letter of 24 June (ref. FA00059) to Mr. G. S. Wright in respect of payment for a survey for seaworthiness made on 8 March, if he will refund the overpayment outstanding together with interest; and if he will make a statement on the factors underlying the delay in repayment. [90834]
Ms Glenda Jackson
[holding answer 14 July 1999]: The Survey was carried out on 6, 7 and 20 April 1999 and was completed on 18 May 1999 on the production of Mr. Wright's Radio Certificate.
The refund was then issued on 29 June 1999 and cashed on 7 July. I can confirm that the delay was due to an administrative error whereby the survey cheque was posted to an incorrect account. Should a claim for interest be made in writing it will be calculated as per current legislation.
Dr. Whitehead:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what guidance on computerised vehicle routeing and scheduling software he intends to produce. [91445]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
We intend to publish a guide on Computerised Vehicle Routeing and Scheduling (CVRS) later this summer. It is being produced by the Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme and will inform transport managers of the benefits of CVRS. The guide will summarise the general capabilities of CVRS systems and show how they can be used to avoid wasted mileage and reduce fuel consumption. It will also present some short case studies in order to demonstrate the savings that can be achieved.
Mr. Woodward:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what he expects to be the salary of London Assembly members when they first meet. [91493]
Mr. Raynsford:
We have invited the Senior Salaries Review Body to make recommendations about the initial levels of salary of the Mayor of London and members of the London Assembly. the Review Body is due to report by December this year, and we will announce our decision when we have had an opportunity to consider its recommendations.
15 Jul 1999 : Column: 297
Mr. Woodward:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many meetings Ministers have had with (a) officials and (b) others regarding the draft Aeroplane Noise (Amendment) Regulations 1999. [91052]
Ms Glenda Jackson
[holding answer 14 July 1999]: None. The draft Aeroplane Noise (Amendment) Regulations are simply an administrative measure. They align UK legislation with the latest EU amendment by deleting 11 aeroplanes which no longer qualify for exemption.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |