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Physical Agents Directive
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will ask the Health and Safety Executive to investigate further the potential impact of the European Commission's proposed physical agents directive. [20414]
Dr. Whitehead: The Health and Safety Executive's Regulatory Impact Assessments of the proposed physical agents directives on vibration and noise are available in the House of Commons Library. The Health and Safety Commission will, in the course of consultation on the regulations implementing the directives if adopted, publish further assessments of the costs and benefits of those regulations.
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will provide financial support to businesses which are required to replace existing machinery under the European Commission's proposed physical agents directive. [20415]
Dr. Whitehead: There are no requirements under the proposed physical agents directives on vibration and noise for businesses to replace existing equipment. It will be for businesses to decide, in the light of the final text of the directives which are still under negotiation, whether they wish or need to replace equipment to help them comply with requirements to limit exposure. In the case of the vibration directive there are long transitional periods before the exposure limitation requirement comes fully into force. The Government have no plans to offer financial support to businesses to comply with the legislation.
Fire Protection and Safety Legislation
Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent assessment he has made of the efficacy of fire protection and safety legislation; and what plans he has to reform fire protection and safety legislation. [20488]
Dr. Whitehead: Broad proposals for the reform of fire safety legislation were developed by the Fire Safety Advisory Board and agreed by the Central Fire Brigades
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Advisory Council in November 2000. These are now being developed in detail and our aim is to conduct a full public consultation in mid-2002 with a view to implementation by means of an Order under the Regulatory Reform Act 2001. The aim of the reform would be to simplify, rationalise and consolidate existing legislation, which is currently spread across over 100 different statutes. It would provide for a risk based approach to fire safety allowing more efficient, effective enforcement by the fire service.
Government Office for London
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time employees the Government Office for London has; and what the corresponding figures were in June 2000. [20765]
Dr. Whitehead: The Government Office for London currently employs 245 full-time and 11 part-time employees. Corresponding figures in June 2000 were approximately 362 full-time and eight part-time employees.
Roads
Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what the criteria are for prioritising the targets for the resurfacing of concrete trunk roads and motorways under the 10 year plan; [19790]
- (2) what the annual budget is for the motorway and trunk road noise barrier programme; and when it will next be reviewed; [19792]
(3) if he will list, in order of priority, the projects in the noise barrier programme, together with the expected dates for the commencement of construction and anticipated cost of each project; [19794]
(4) when the (a) M27 between junctions 7 and 8 and (b) M3 between Southampton and Winchester were last subjected to condition surveys and maintenance cycle reviews; and what estimates were made of the time expected to elapse before resurfacing with low noise materials would be required; [19791]
(5) if he will list those noise barrier projects that (a) have been completed and (b) are under construction, indicating the construction cost of each project. [19793]
Mr. Jamieson: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Tim Matthews, to reply to the hon. Gentleman.
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Letter from Tim Matthews to David Chidgey, dated 4 December 2001:
- I have been asked by the Transport Minister, David Jamieson, to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the noise barrier programme, the criteria for prioritising resurfacing of concrete roads, and about the condition of the M27 between junctions 7 and 8 and the M3 between Southampton and Winchester.
- The Government recognised in "A New Deal For Trunk Roads in England" published in 1998 that traffic noise was becoming an increasing problem and stated that:
- Quieter road surfaces would be specified in all future contracts for new trunk roads;
- The most appropriate noise reducing surfaces are used whenever a road needs resurfacing where noise is a particular concern; and
- A budget would be established for noise mitigation measures to tackle some of the most serious and pressing problems on existing trunk roads.
- Traffic noise is therefore being tackled through programmes of quieter surfacing and noise mitigation measures, such as noise barriers. As a matter of policy, we use quieter surfaces whenever a road needs to be resurfaced and as part of the Government's 10 Year Transport Plan, we are tasked with resurfacing at least 60% of trunk roads, including all concrete roads, with quieter materials by 31 March 2011. The criteria to be used in deciding the priorities for resurfacing concrete roads were recently announced by Ministers and are as follows:
- That wherever possible the application of quieter surfaces will fit in with normal maintenance needs;
- That priority will be given to those sites where treatment would benefit the greatest number of people;
- That the works will be carried out in such a way as to minimise disruption to the general public and users of the network;
- That priority will be given to roads, opened since June 1988, where actual noise levels have turned out to be significantly higher than predicted at the time of the Public Inquiry.
- The Government's proposals for reducing the effects of traffic noise were first set out in Hansard (Column 682 in November 1999). A list of the schemes at these sites that have been completed or are under construction is in Table A attached. The provision of low noise surfacing has an impact on the treatment necessary at these sites. We are still carrying out studies listed in Hansard and until they are completed, I cannot give an indication of the cost or timing of any work identified at the remaining sites. The annual ring fenced budget for noise mitigation measures is £5M and there are currently no plans to review it.
- Regarding the condition of the M27 and M3, the Agency carries out several different road surveys to determine the condition and residual pavement life of the trunk road network. Measurements are undertaken annually of the road surface condition, including rutting, texture depth and profile. A visual assessment is undertaken every 5 years, together with a deflectograph survey that determines residual pavement life. A skid resistance survey is completed every 3 years. The forward programme of maintenance is identified from a study of the results of all these assessments. Analysis of the results of the latest road condition surveys of the M3 between junction 7 and 8 indicates that, subject to further testing, the section near Winchester may be due for major maintenance, which would include the use of a low noise surface, in about 2004–05. The condition of the M27 between Southampton and Winchester currently indicates that maintenance would not be required within the next 5 years.
(37) Major Maintenance schemes providing quieter surfacing
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