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Enterprise Grant Areas

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will publish the results of the review of enterprise grant areas; and if she will make a statement. [21783]

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Nigel Griffiths: The enterprise grant scheme is being considered as part of the wider review of DTI business support. Any further changes to the geographical coverage of the scheme will not be decided until after the end of the wider review.

Standing Committee on Regional Affairs

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will table a motion under Standing Order No. 117(6) to refer (a) the progress made by regional development agencies in fulfilling their

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objects, (b) the role of regional chambers in scrutinising RDAs, (c) the contribution made by RDAs in addressing strategic transport issues, (d) the progression made with economic regeneration of EU Objective 1 regions, (e) the issues and concerns raised about the forthcoming Regional White Paper and (f) other matters, to the Standing Committee on Regional Affairs. [19266]

Ms Keeble: I have been asked to reply.

A motion was agreed by the House on 5 December that the Committee meet to discuss 'Regional Governance in England' on 18 December.

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TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND

THE REGIONS

Railtrack

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 21 November 2001, Official Report, column 276W, on Railtrack, if he will place in the Library advice he has received on contingency plans if the Company Limited by Guarantee fails to achieve a credit rating of A/A2. [19190]

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Mr. Jamieson: The credit rating of the proposed Company Limited by Guarantee would depend upon its structure and financial framework.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the total length of track on the rail network which has been replaced was (a) in each month between January 2000 and November 2001 and (b) in each year between 1990 to 2001 (i) in total, (ii) subdivided by zonal area and (iii) subdivided by train operating company area. [21039]

Mr. Jamieson: The following table from Railtrack shows for each calendar year between 1990 and 2000, the annual totals of rails replaced nationally and by Railtrack Zone. I understand that data are not available according to calendar month or train operating company area.

Miles of rails replaced per year by Railtrack Zone and nationally

Zone	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
Southern	57.6	53.6	85.2	55.3	31.5	32.1	49.2	54.3	45.4	21.3	31.4
Great Western	19.1	29.1	28.4	47.7	22.6	12.7	32.7	30.1	29.2	48.2	36.7
Midlands	36.7	24.4	12.8	28.0	23.4	19.6	16.8	32.2	39.1	31.2	31.0
North West	50.3	47.0	43.3	21.8	23.3	10.4	42.5	11.1	19.0	15.8	13.7
London North Eastern	52.0	18.5	28.2	38.6	35.6	19.3	26.9	36.0	28.5	39.7	81.3
East Anglia	12.6	11.5	13.9	7.4	11.9	10.4	17.9	16.9	20.3	23.3	24.9
Scotland	8.4	5.3	11.3	7.6	2.5	4.7	10.9	8.9	25.4	30.6	29.5
National	236.7	189.4	223.1	206.4	150.8	109.2	196.9	189.5	206.9	210.1	248.5

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions on how many occasions he has met the Railtrack administrator since 7 October. [21942]

Mr. Jamieson: Officials meet him regularly and report to Ministers.

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions his Department has held with the Treasury on the treatment of Railtrack while in administration in the national accounts. [22066]

Mr. Byers [holding answer 10 December 2001]: My Department discusses a range of issues with the Treasury. They include the possible treatment of Railtrack plc in the national accounts.

Roads

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many road schemes costing more than £5 million were commissioned between 1992 and 1997. [21496]

Mr. Jamieson: Work started on 70 local and 76 trunk major road schemes between the financial years 1992–93 and 1996–97.

Rail Speed Restrictions

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many speed restrictions on railways there were for each month between January 2000 and November 2001 (a) in total, (b) subdivided by zonal area and (c) subdivided by train operating company area. [21036]

Mr. Jamieson: Railtrack reports that the number of temporary speed restrictions in place across its network in Great Britain for each month was:

	Number
October 2000	504
November	626
December	1,100
January 2001	1,045
February	964
March	1,188
April	908
May	779
June	773
July	742
August	753
September	696
October	675
November	659

Note:

Prior to October 2000 national figures were not compiled

These national figures cannot meaningfully be broken down into the areas covered by each train operating company area because the services of many train operating companies overlap. Individual speed restrictions will often affect the trains of several operators all using that line.

District Line

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much money has been spent on repairs and renewals on the District line in each of the past six years. [20124]

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Mr. Jamieson: This is an operational matter for London Underground. London Underground, however, advise that the following has been spent on repairs and renewals on the District Line:

	£ million
1996–97	47.4
1997–98	49.5
1998–99	64.4
1999–2000	61.5
2000–01	77.5

Reliable data for 1995–96 are not available.

Rents

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what percentage real terms increase in each year he predicts for formula rents for (a) registered social landlords and (b) council tenants in Barnet until 2011. [20837]

Ms Keeble: We estimate that council rents in Barnet would rise by an average of 1.6 per cent. in real terms in 2002–03 and 2.2 per cent. a year in real terms thereafter until 2011–12 if rents are adjusted in line with our proposals. Over the period 1991–92 to 2001–02, council rents in Barnet rose on average 2.5 per cent. a year in real terms. Estimates for future years are based on property valuations and other data provided by the London Borough of Barnet which may be subject to amendment. The figures for 2003–04 and later years may also be adjusted as a result of Spending Reviews.

We do not hold data on the registered social landlord rents at the individual authority level. Nationally, our rent restructuring proposals would result in RSL rents rising by RPI plus 0.5 per cent. a year until 2011–12. This figure is subject to periodic reviews by the Housing Corporation.

Manchester International Airport Group

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what proportion of residents from each English region travelled from airports in the Manchester International Airport Group in the last year for which estimates are available; [21427]

(2) what proportion of residents of the North West Region travelled from airports in the Manchester International Airport Group in the last year for which estimates are available. [21428]

Mr. Jamieson: The figures are not available in the form requested. The information that is available about the use of UK airports relates to the number of passenger journeys made to and from each airport, and not to the number of individual passengers who use each airport. The number of passenger journeys is as follows.

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Arrivals and departures of UK residents at the Manchester International Airport Group⁽⁶⁾ by region of residence of passenger: 1999–2000⁽⁷⁾Thousand

Standard region	Passenger journeys
North	555
Yorkshire and Humberside	3,785
East Midlands	1,787
East Anglia	33
South East	450
South West	275
West Midlands	1,218
North West	7,118
Region unknown(8)	739
England	15,960

⁽⁶⁾ Manchester, Bournemouth, East Midlands and Humberside airports.

⁽⁷⁾ Figures for Manchester and Bournemouth airports are for 2000, those for East Midlands and Humberside are for 1999.

⁽⁸⁾ This relates to journeys where the relevant information was not collected from the passenger.

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