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Airtrack

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his policy is on the Airtrack proposal. [19337]

Mr. Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority is sponsoring a demand study to establish numbers of air passengers and domestic (non-airport) users who might use an Airtrack service. Work on this is well advanced, and in the new year we hope to take a view on the next stage of development of the Airtrack proposal.

We are proposing to issue a consultation paper on airport policy in general early in the new year, and this will include consideration of public transport access to airports.

Speeding

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he intends to publish revised guidance to highways authorities on speed policy. [19272]

Mr. Jamieson: The Transport Act 2000 committed the Government to consider the development of a rural road hierarchy for speed management purposes. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hyndburn (Mr. Pope) on 28 November 2001, Official Report, columns 942–43W.

In addition, the first year report executive summary on the cost recovery system for traffic safety cameras was published on 13 August. Copies were placed in the Libraries of the House.

Local Authority Websites

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what action his Department recently has taken to promote good practice in the creation and development of local authority websites; [19061]

(2) what measures he has taken to ensure that local authority websites are accessible to those with a range of disabilities; and which organisations have been consulted. [19062]

Dr. Whitehead: We have made available £350 million of funding as part of our drive to ensure that all local authorities achieve 100 per cent. electronic service delivery capability by 2005. In 2001–02 this funding is being used to support 24 local authority pathfinders (with a further pathfinder being funded under the Invest to Save Budget) in a programme of innovation and shared learning. Many of the pathfinders are developing interactive websites, which other councils can then use as a model to create their own.

We are also in the process of developing guidance for local authorities on how they design their websites. This guidance will cover accessibility for people with disabilities, and we will consult widely when the draft document is published next year.

Energy Saving

Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent measures he has taken to ensure that buildings insulation targets are met. [19106]

Dr. Whitehead: The Building (Amendment) Regulations 2001 were laid before Parliament on 11 October 2001, and come into force on 1 April 2002. Their supporting approved documents published on 31 October give guidance on the building insulation

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targets that are to be met. These significantly increase the building insulation standards that apply whenever building work is carried out.

Special Advisers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the special advisers in his Department. [19344]

Dr. Whitehead: The Department's special advisers are:

Dan Corry


Michael Dugher


Jo Moore.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he expects to spend the £920 million that was allocated to his Department for 2000–01 but not spent. [19527]

Dr. Whitehead: The 2000–01 underspend on the DETR Main Programmes Departmental Expenditure Limit became available for use in following years in accordance with the end-year flexibility arrangements (the set of rules by which Departments are allowed to carry forward unspent budget from one year to the next). The entitlement generated from 2000–01 and previous years was announced in Table 6 of Public Expenditure 2000–2001 Provisional Outturn (Cm 5243). £516 million end-year flexibility take up is being sought in the Winter Supplementary Estimates for the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions; £93 million has been transferred to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (as part of machinery of government changes) and further take-up will be sought in the spring Supplementary Estimates. Any unused end-year flexibility will be carried forward into future years.

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will estimate the total unallocated funds within his departmental expenditure limit (a) at the start of the financial year and (b) to date; and what was the month seven forecast on outturn underspend against his departmental expenditure limit in (i) real and (ii) percentage terms. [19442]

Dr. Whitehead: The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions Departmental Annual Report for 2001 (Cm 5105) contains the Departmental Unallocated Provision (DUP) set for the present financial year in table A6a. Draw-down of the DUP has been reported to Parliament in the Winter Supplementary Estimates for the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions presented on 29 November. Outturn against six month forecast for each Request for Resources will be published in the Winter Supplementary Estimates Summary Request for Supply as usual.

Train Operating Companies

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what estimate he has made of the revenue lost (a) to each of the train operating companies and (b) in total in each of

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the last five years resulting from shortages of (i) booking office staff, (ii) ticket machines and (iii) on-board conductors to collect fares. [19554]

Mr. Jamieson: No such estimate has been made. This is a matter for the train operating companies.

Portable Buildings

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions in relation to Statutory Instrument 2718 and the accompanying guidelines, what discussions his Department has had with all other Government Departments on the number of portable buildings they use which will have to be disposed of after five years; and what the estimated cost to public funds of disposing and replacing these units will be. [19878]

Ms Keeble: Statutory Instrument 2718 is The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Amendment) (England) Order 2001. This order amends the planning guidelines relating to telecommunications masts, and has no relevance to portable buildings. There have thus been no such discussions with other Government Departments, or estimates made, in relation to this Statutory Instrument.

However, the hon. Member did raise the issue of portable buildings in the debate in the Second Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation on 21 November 2001 which considered the Prayer against both Statutory Instrument 2718 and Statutory Instrument 3335, The Building (Amendment) Regulations 2001. The Approved Document to Part L2 of the Building Regulations, which Statutory Instrument 3335 amended, gives guidance on how portable buildings may meet the requirements of Part L2 of the Regulations under the heading "Buildings constructed from sub-assemblies".

There is nothing in the guidance in the Approved Document that indicates that portable buildings will have to be disposed of after five years. It indicates that there are no restrictions at all on portable buildings that are moved from one place to another on the same site. With regard to buildings moved from one site to another the guidance is that a building constructed from external fabric sub-assemblies obtained from other premises or from a stock manufactured before 31 December 2001, would normally be considered to meet the requirement if the fabric thermal resistance or the prospective annual energy use will be no worse than the relevant performance standards given in the 1995 edition of Approved Document L.

It would thus have been inappropriate to have discussions, in relation to this Statutory Instrument and its supporting Approved Documents, with other Government Departments on the number of portable buildings they use which will have to be disposed of after five years, and what the estimated cost to public funds of disposing and replacing these units will be.

Bus Safety

Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what criteria determine the number of passengers permitted to stand on a scheduled bus; and how many people standing are permitted on an (a) 48 seater and (b) 53 seater bus. [19754]

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Mr. Jamieson: Every public service vehicle must have a Certificate of Initial Fitness on which is specified the maximum number of seated and standing passengers.

The Public Service Vehicles (Carrying Capacity) Regulations 1984 prohibit the carriage of any standing passengers on:

(a) a vehicle with a seating capacity of less than 13 passengers;

(b) a vehicle with a gangway any part of the height of which is less than 1.77 metre;

(c) a half decked vehicle.

Where a vehicle is permitted to carry standing passengers the criteria used to establish the number is as follows: the total number of standing passengers carried on a single deck vehicle or the lower deck of a double-decked vehicle shall not exceed the number obtained by dividing by 1,900 the total floor area of that deck (in square centimetres) available to standing passengers. The floor area for calculation shall not include:

(a) any space occupied by a seat or within 225mm of the front of a seat required for the accommodation of seated passengers;

(b) any area which is within 225mm of the top of a step;

(c) any step and any space within 225mm of an entrance or exit other than a Secondary Emergency Exit or an exit required by Regulation 21(11) of the Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment, Use and Certification) Regulations 1981. The space being measured from the outside edge of the vehicle and having the same width as the opening;

(d) any space forward of a transverse plane that touches the rear of the driver's seat when it is located in its rearmost position;

(e) any space on the higher level of a split level floor which is within 225mm of the edge of any unprotected step in the change of levels;

(f) any space which does not have access to a gangway as specified in sub-paragraph (g);

(g) any part of a gangway which is not at least 450mm wide at all levels;

(h) any space in which it is not possible to inscribe a square having 355mm sides.

The number of standing and seated passengers is required to be marked on the vehicle but the operator can, if he so wishes, use a lower number than that established by the above procedure.

It is not possible to give a general answer to the cases of a 48 seat vehicle and 53 seat vehicle as the above criteria may be different for each design.

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