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M5 (Junction 10)

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he expects to announce a decision on implementing two-way access to the M5 at junction 10; and if he will make a statement. [10982]

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Mr. Jamieson: The Highways Agency is proposing to carry out a route management strategy study on this part of the trunk road network, which will examine the role and performance of the M5 and include consideration of Junction 10 near Uckington in Gloucestershire.

The study is expected to be commissioned around the turn of the year and will take approximately 12 months to complete.

If the study concludes that alterations to the Junction are merited, the scheme would have to be adopted into the Highways Agency's programme, following consultation with, and a recommendation from the Regional Assembly. This is in line with procedures outlined in the Planning Policy Guidance Note 11 (PPG 11).

Accordingly, it is not possible at this time to give a reliable prediction of when I may be able to make an announcement.

Heathrow

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on Heathrow Terminal 5. [10402]

Ms Keeble: No decision has yet been taken on the proposed fifth terminal at Heathrow. The applicants for planning permission and other interested parties will all be told of the decision in the usual way, and an oral statement will be made to inform Parliament.

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he will announce the Government's decision on Terminal 5. [11428]

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he will announce his decision on the proposed building of Terminal 5 at Heathrow. [11473]

Ms Keeble: No decision has yet been taken on the proposed fifth Terminal at Heathrow. The Secretary of State will announce his decision once he has completed his full and careful consideration of all the issues. The applicants for planning permission and other interested parties will all be told of the decision in the usual way, and an oral statement will be made to inform Parliament.

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions he has had with the aviation industry regarding the safety of residents living under flight paths into Heathrow Airport. [11147]

Mr. Jamieson: The safety of residents living under flight paths into Heathrow Airport is best assured by the safety regulation of aircraft, operators and air traffic movements. The safety regulation of UK registered aircraft and operators and of air traffic control in UK airspace is the day-to-day responsibility of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The Authority has regular contacts with the aviation industry.

In addition, following the attacks in New York and Washington, aviation security has been heightened at all UK airports. An urgent and thorough review of aviation security has also been undertaken, involving Government,

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the CAA and industry. This has looked at a wide range of measures aimed at enhancing aviation security and safety still further, for the benefit of both passengers and people on the ground.

Pollution (Aircraft)

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to reduce environmental pollution from aeroplanes and aircraft fuels. [10559]

Mr. Jamieson: My Department is continuing to work with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and other interested organisations, both national and international, on a range of measures to further improve the environmental performance of aircraft. This includes developing and introducing better technologies, adopting more optimal operating practices, and devising economic incentives to encourage the use of cleaner aircraft. The Department is also supporting national and international research aimed at reaching a better understanding of the environmental impact of aviation and of the effects of possible action to mitigate it.

Stingray

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what targets have been set by the Government for cutting evasion of vehicle excise duty from the introduction of the Stingray system in (a) Scotland and (b) the rest of the UK. [11234]

Mr. Jamieson: We have set a target of 700,000 successful cases against evasion of vehicle excise duty for Great Britain in 2001–02. The mobile camera system will help to achieve this demanding target.

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when the Stingray system is to be used throughout the country. [11236]

Mr. Jamieson: The national launch of the new mobile camera system took place in London on 11 October. The systems are now in use across the country.

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the estimated cost is of implementing the Stingray system in (a) Scotland and (b) the rest of the UK. [11232]

Mr. Jamieson: The full cost of implementing the mobile camera system which will be used across the UK was around £2 million including the purchase of the equipment, staff and other costs. The units are mobile and will be displayed flexibly across the UK.

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what savings he estimates will arise from the introduction of the Stingray system. [11230]

Mr. Jamieson: We estimate that the new mobile camera system will generate around £9 million per annum in additional revenue from enforcement action against evaders and from increased voluntary relicensing.

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John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the estimated cost is of the advertising campaign for the introduction of the Stingray system. [11229]

Mr. Jamieson: The cost of publicising the VED enforcement campaign, including the new mobile number plate readers, was £640,000 for the national launch in London on 11 October and £240,000 in Scotland on 23 October. A further £1 million will be spent on additional campaigns involving the new system for the remainder of the UK over the rest of the year.

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans the Government have to monitor the effectiveness of the Stingray system; and if he will make a statement. [11235]

Mr. Jamieson: The effectiveness of the new mobile camera system will be monitored by: the number of unlicensed vehicles captured by the system; the number of successful cases pursued against VED evaders captured by the system; the penalties, fines and revenue recovered from those evaders, and the deterrent effect measured by the additional revenue received from induced relicensing as a result of the publicity campaigns.

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the estimated running costs are for the Stingray system. [11231]

Mr. Jamieson: The estimated running costs for the 11 units of the mobile camera system is £1.2 million per annum.

Airport Security

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much of the £1.67 million allocated for research into methods for improving transport security has been specifically aimed at improving airport security in (a) Scotland and (b) the rest of the UK. [11424]

Mr. Jamieson: The benefits accruing from my Department's Research and Development programme for aviation security are equally available to all airports in the United Kingdom.

Vehicles (Pedestrian Protection)

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what expert advice he has received on the conclusions of the German Federal Research Organisation BaST on the compatibility of the Phase One and EEVC tests on vehicles designed for greater pedestrian protection. [11108]

Mr. Jamieson: We have had no specific advice. BaST recently highlighted the difficulty of designing for different headform sizes, particularly the 4.8kg and 3.5kg headforms. This is not a new issue, and it is one which industry would have been aware of when the negotiated agreement was originally prepared.

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what

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expert advice he has received on the conclusions by the Dutch Ministry of Transport on the option by the EU for the draft negotiated agreement on vehicles designed for greater pedestrian protection. [11106]

Mr. Jamieson: We have not received any specific expert advice on this, but we understand that the Dutch favour going to a Directive.

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if the draft negotiated agreement on vehicles designed for greater pedestrian protection will permit manufacturers to pass the EEVC tests instead of the Phase One industry tests. [11107]

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Mr. Jamieson: The negotiated agreement, as drafted, does not specifically cater for this. However, it would be illogical if, in practice, vehicles which met the full EEVC Phase Two requirements were not permitted under Phase One.

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