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Parking Charges (Central London)

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what was the estimated gross income from parking charges received by (a) Camden, (b) Kensington and Chelsea, (c) Wandsworth, (d) Westminster, (e) Islington, (f) Southwark and (g) Lambeth in 1999–2000. [17412]

Ms Keeble: The gross income from off-street and on-street parking in 1999–2000 is given in the tables:

	£000
Camden	24,535
Islington	5,812
Kensington and Chelsea	30,434
Lambeth	10,663
Southwark	6,209
Wandsworth	8,731
Westminster	88,020

Road Accidents (Somerset)

Mr. Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many (a) fatal and (b) serious road traffic accidents have taken place in (i) Somerset and (ii) the constituency of Somerton and Frome in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [17930]

28 Nov 2001 : Column: 932W

Mr. Jamieson: Road accident statistics are compiled by local authority area and are not available centrally for parliamentary constituencies. The table shows the numbers of fatal and serious road traffic accidents in each of the local authority areas in Somerset.

Fatal road accidents in Somerset by local authority district

	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
Mendip	9	6	12	9	18
Sedgemoor	7	12	6	7	4
Taunton Deane	5	8	11	6	3
West Somerset	3	3	3	0	3
South Somerset	21	9	12	12	13
Total	45	38	44	34	41

Serious road accidents in Somerset by local authority district

	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
Mendip	57	61	47	50	61
Sedgemoor	61	54	45	39	34
Taunton Deane	66	58	52	40	35
West Somerset	14	13	10	17	11
South Somerset	74	81	84	82	87
Total	272	267	238	228	228

Road Accidents (Bassetlaw)

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many road users in the Bassetlaw constituency had accidents in the last year for which figures are available; and what is the average in constituencies in England. [17439]

Mr. Jamieson: Road accident statistics are compiled by local authority area and are not available centrally for parliamentary constituencies. The information available relates only to accidents which result in personal injury.

There were 742 road user casualties in accidents which took place within the Bassetlaw local authority area in 2000. An additional 420 uninjured drivers and riders were involved in these accidents. It is not known how many uninjured passengers or pedestrians were involved.

Regional Airports (Flight Surcharges)

Mr. Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will abolish flight surcharges from regional airports. [18004]

Mr. Jamieson: It is for airlines and air travel organisers to justify their prices. If passengers feel they are not getting a fair deal they should make their views known to them, and perhaps shop around for a better deal.

Ordnance Survey

Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Quinquennial Review of the Ordnance Survey. [17985]

Ms Keeble: I have received the Stage 1 Report of the Quinquennial Review of Ordnance Survey and will make an announcement shortly.

28 Nov 2001 : Column: 933W

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he has concluded his consideration of the formal review of the Ordnance Survey Framework Document 1999 undertaken by the Ordnance Survey Management Board. [18170]

Ms Keeble: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that the then Under-Secretary of State my hon. Friend the Member for Stretford and Urmston (Beverley Hughes) gave on 15 February 2001, Official Report, columns 220–21W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, West (Ruth Kelly) announcing the Quinquennial Review to the House.

For the current Quinquennial Review, CMG Admiral was appointed to carry out the task following a competitive tendering process. The review has provided extensive opportunities for consultation with internal and external stakeholders.

Following the completion of Stage 1, I have since received the Report of the Quinquennial Review of Ordnance Survey and will make an announcement shortly.

Public Transport (Greater London)

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to increase the allocation of funding for public transport in the Greater London area. [17884]

Mr. Jamieson: The Government's spending plans for public transport in London and elsewhere were set out in "Transport 2010: The 10 Year Plan", issued in July 2000. The 10 Year Plan provides over £25 billion of public and private investment between 2001–02 and 2010–11. In addition, London will also benefit from some national rail schemes.

Precise levels of funding for Transport for London will be decided following consultation with the Mayor on the determination of his transport grant for 2002–03, and in respect of the underground, once the negotiations with preferred bidders for the tube modernisation contracts have been successfully concluded.

Buses (Safety)

Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what powers the Transport Commissioners have to investigate bus services that are deemed to be unsafe. [17875]

Ms Keeble: In order to obtain and retain a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) Operator's Licence, the bus operator must satisfy the relevant Traffic Commissioner that he is of good repute, professionally competent, of appropriate financial standing, and is able to maintain his vehicles properly.

In cases where it appears to the Commissioner that appropriate vehicle safety standards are not being maintained, he can call upon my Department's Vehicle Inspectorate to investigate. If safety standards are found to be inadequate, the Commissioner can take disciplinary action against the operator's PSV licence.

Passenger safety on local bus services is primarily a matter for the bus operator itself.

28 Nov 2001 : Column: 934W

Stagecoach

Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the outcome of the investigation by the Traffic Commissioner into the operation of bus services by Stagecoach in Gloucester and Cheltenham in November. [17878]

Ms Keeble: I understand that the Traffic Commissioner for the Western Traffic Area called two Stagecoach- owned bus companies to public inquiry on 10 October 2001 following a reliability monitoring exercise by the Vehicle Inspectorate on their local bus services.

At the Inquiry, the Traffic Commissioner fined Cheltenham District Traction Company Ltd., 10 per cent. of the Fuel Duty Rebate paid to them during the three months prior to the determination being made. The Commissioner issued a formal warning to the other operator, Cheltenham and Gloucester Omnibus Company Ltd., as to its future conduct in ensuring that the services which it provides are reliable.

The Commissioner can take further disciplinary action against either operator if reliability does not improve.

Transport Spending

Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the total UK public expenditure, broken down into (a) capital and (b) revenue, including EU grants, was in each year since 1980 for which figures are available on (i) road infrastructure, (ii) local public transport, (iii) rail transport, (iv) water transport and (v) air transport. [18082]

Mr. Jamieson: The information requested is not readily available. I have asked my officials to collate this information and will write to my hon. Friend. A copy of my letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Newly Qualified Drivers

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will introduce a probationary period for newly qualified drivers in the United Kingdom. [17833]

Mr. Jamieson: The Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act 1995 and the Road Traffic (New Drivers) Northern Ireland Order 1998 introduced probationary periods for newly qualified drivers. Under these provisions, the licence of any driver who accumulates six or more penalty points in the first two years after passing their first driving test will be revoked automatically. To regain a full licence, a provisional licence must be obtained and the theory and practical tests taken and passed again. In accordance with the Government's Road Safety Strategy, we intend to consult shortly on a wide range of issues regarding newly qualified drivers.

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