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MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Women

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister for Women what recent discussions she has had with her European Union counterparts on women's issues. [25512]

Ms Hewitt: I met Commissioner Diamantopoulou on 26 November 2001. We discussed a broad range of EU and UK social affairs policy issues, including child care provision, the gender pay gap, family friendly working and the Equal Treatment draft directive.

I am also looking forward to discussing employment issues with the French Employment Minister, Elizabeth Guigou, in London today. As Minister Guigou's area of responsibility also includes women and equality issues our discussions will cover issues of particular interest to women. My hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office will also be attending the EU Informal Meeting of Ministers for Women to be hosted by the Spanish Presidency at Santiago de Compostela on 18–19 February 2002.

TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND

THE REGIONS

Traffic Calming

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what legal powers local authorities have to introduce passive traffic calming on trunk roads. [26470]

Mr. Spellar: Trunk roads are the responsibility of the Highways Agency. Local authorities have no legal powers to introduce passive traffic calming measures on trunk roads.

Rolling Stock

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make it his policy to establish a national test track for rolling stock. [26058]

Mr. Spellar: As the Chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority, Richard Bowker, announced in his Strategic Plan published on 14 January, the SRA is carrying out a study of the case for a national test track. The study will report early this year.

Lord Birt

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he last met Lord Birt to discuss transport policy. [26724]

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the terms of engagement of Lord Birt are in relation to transport matters. [26308]

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) if he will publish Lord Birt's study of Britain's transport needs; [26758]

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(2) what terms of reference he has agreed with Lord Birt for his study of Britain's transport needs; [26760]

(3) on what date he first met Lord Birt to discuss the future of transport; [26763]

(4) what administrative support his Department is supplying Lord Birt for his study of Britain's transport needs; [26762]

(5) on what date he last met Lord Birt to discuss the future of transport, with specific reference to the railways; [26761]

(6) what timetable he has agreed with Lord Birt for the completion of his study of Britain's transport needs. [26759]

Mr. Byers: The role of the FSU is to provide internal long-term strategic analysis and policy thinking for the Prime Minister and other Cabinet Ministers on a range of issues, including transport. Lord Birt is one of a number of external advisers assisting the FSU in its work. It is not our policy to publish Forward Strategy Unit reports. Internal policy advice to Ministers remains confidential.

The work of the FSU is being carried forward by a small and varying staff, drawn from the PIU and Government Departments. My Department keeps in close touch with the FSU.

Road Deaths

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many deaths there were in motor accidents in each of the last five years for which figures are available in which a contributory factor was (a) consumption of alcohol, (b) consumption of non-prescription drugs and (c) tiredness of driver. [27407]

Mr. Spellar: The numbers of deaths in motor accidents where one or more drivers involved tested positive for illegal levels of alcohol are shown for the most recent five years for which estimates are available, together with the provisional estimate for 2000.

Estimates of casualties in accidents involving illegal alcohol levels: Great Britain

	Number
1995	540
1996	580
1997	550
1998	460
1999	460
2000 (provisional)	520

The estimates do not, however, show the extent to which alcohol may have been a contributory factor in the accidents. Statistics are not compiled for drugs or tiredness as a factor.

National Rail Model

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 8 January 2002, Official Report, column 583W, on departmental consultants, when Oscar Faber are due to conclude their work on the development of a national rail model. [27334]

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Mr. Byers [holding answer 15 January 2002]: The original project specification issued in February 2001 set a completion date of 14 September 2001 for the initial version of the national rail model. The contract with Oscar Faber has since been extended to incorporate further development work and is likely to be extended further either with Oscar Faber or through competitive tender. The original project specification envisaged the further development phase would continue up to September 2002.

London Underground

Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he

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will publish the performance indicators for (a) the Metropolitan Line and (b) other London Underground lines for (i) each of the last 12 months and (ii) the last seven years. [27712]

Mr. Spellar: Detailed in-year operational information of this nature is a matter for London Underground.

London Underground has provided the information in the following table giving a line by line breakdown of the percentage of scheduled train kilometres operated in each full financial year since 1995–96. During the same period, the total number of train kilometres operated has increased by 11.5 per cent. from 57.2 million kms in 1995–96 to 63.8 million kms in 2000–01.

London Underground—Percentage of scheduled train kilometres operated, by line, by financial year

Line	1995–96	1996–97	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01
Bakerloo	94.6	91.4	93.6	92.5	90.5	82.6
Central	97.5	95.3	95.1	95.2	96.5	96.6
Circle and Hammersmith and City	94.6	90.9	93.0	91.4	89.7	81.8
District	98.1	96.0	98.3	97.4	97.0	92.9
East London(1)	—	—	—	92.7	95.7	94.1
Jubilee	98.3	96.4	98.0	97.5	92.7	89.2
Metropolitan	98.1	95.9	98.0	97.5	96.7	95.0
Northern	93.6	94.4	95.5	90.2	94.9	96.5
Piccadilly	95.5	93.5	92.9	89.5	90.9	86.6
Victoria	96.0	95.0	95.1	96.1	97.4	95.8
Waterloo and City	96.3	94.5	98.2	96.9	98.4	96.8

⁽¹⁾ The East London Line was closed between March 1995 and March 1998

Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many train breakdowns there were in each of the last seven years per underground line. [27713]

Mr. Spellar: This is an operational matter for London Underground who have provided the information in the table, showing, for each line on the underground, the number of delays of over two minutes attributed to problems with rolling stock.

London Underground—delays of over two minutes attributed to problems with rolling stock

	1994–95	1995–96	1996–97	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01
Bakerloo	1,208	1,216	1,075	1,144	1,237	879	968
Central(2)	2,121	1,739	2,605	2,423	2,165	2,304	2,864
Circle and Hammersmith and City	1,741	609	1,167	2,170	1,380	1,568	1,463
District	1,532	1,218	1,160	1,082	995	981	834
East London(3)	—	—	—	—	—	—	106
Jubilee(3)	1,135	1,156	922	1,239	2,376	1,722	1,603
Metropolitan	1,685	1,687	1,363	1,238	1,065	1,047	1,247
Northern	3,405	3,964	3,505	4,229	5,942	3,727	1,674
Piccadilly	2,113	2,376	2,228	3,115	3,886	2,934	2,609
Victoria	1,290	997	757	994	821	920	1,053
Waterloo and City(2)	—	—	—	—	—	—	27

⁽²⁾ The figures for the Central line also include those for the Waterloo and City line to 1999–2000

⁽³⁾ The figures for the Jubilee line also include those for the East London line to 1999–2000

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